Longitudinal and transverse spin asymmetries for inclusive jet production at mid-rapidity in polarized p+p collisions at √s=200GeV

Abstract

We report STAR measurements of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A LL, the transverse single-spin asymmetry A N, and the transverse double-spin asymmetries A Σ and A TT for inclusive jet production at mid-rapidity in polarized p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=200GeV. The data represent integrated luminosities of 7.6pb -1 with longitudinal polarization and 1.8pb -1 with transverse polarization, with 50%-55% beam polarization, and were recorded in 2005 and 2006. No evidence is found for the existence of statistically significant jet A N, A Σ, or A TT at mid-rapidity. Recent model calculations indicate the A N results may provide new limits on the gluon Sivers distribution in the proton. The asymmetry A LL significantly improves the knowledge of gluon polarization in the nucleon. © 2012 American Physical Society.