The Parity Radius Experiment at the Jefferson Laboratory

The raduis of the distribution of neutrons in lead can be determined by measuring the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the scattering of polarized electrons. This data can, in turn, be used to obtain information about the symmetry energy of nuclear matter, with a minmimum of theoretical input, and then applied to descriptions of neutron stars. However, the experiment is challenging, requiring the measurement of a tiny asymmetry to a few percent of itself. Details about the theoretical and experimental issues will be presented.