Nucleon to Δ (1232) Transition Form Factors at Low Q²: The Hall C Program at Jefferson Lab

The excitation of a Δ (1232) resonance via a virtual photon is dominated primarily by a magnetic dipole (M1) transition in addition to a significant non-zero electric and Coulomb quadrupole (E2, C2) contribution. The nucleon to Δ transition form factors (TFFs) are commonly described as the ratios: EMR = E2/M1 and CMR = C2/M1.  An upcoming experiment in Hall-C at Jefferson Lab will use high-resolution spectrometers to measure electron and proton scattering from an incident electron beam on a liquid hydrogen target. This low-Q² configuration maximizes sensitivity to pion-cloud dynamics and enables high-precision differential cross sections with good control of systematics. We will show how projected measurements can help us discriminate between various chiral and dynamic models, and how these data will provide a benchmark for the future theoretical and lattice calculations.