Status of the OLYMPUS Experiment

ORAL

Abstract

The OLYMPUS Experiment finished collecting data at DESY, Hamburg, in 2013, and the analysis effort is well underway. The goal of the experiment is to measure the ratio of electron-proton to positron-proton elastic scattering cross sections with 1 percent uncertainty. Deviation in this ratio from unity is evidence of hard two-photon exchange, an effect which may be responsible for the current proton form-factor discrepancy. At OLYMPUS, alternating beams of positrons and electrons were directed through a windowless hydrogen gas target, and the scattered lepton and recoiling proton were detected in coincidence in a large-acceptance magnetic spectrometer. Forward tracking telescopes, and M\o ller/Bhabha calorimeters independently monitored the relative luminosity of the electron and positron running modes. Over 4~fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity were collected, giving OLYMPUS excellent statistical precision. The analysis procedure as well as the current status will be presented.

Authors

  • Axel Schmidt

    MIT