Measurement of the Nucleon F2n / F2p Structure Function Ratio by the Jefferson Lab MARATHON Tritium/Helium-3 Deep Inelastic Scattering Experiment

Abstract

The ratio of the nucleon F2 structure functions, F2n/F2p, is determined by the MARATHON experiment from measurements of deep inelastic scattering of electrons from H3 and He3 nuclei. The experiment was performed in the Hall A Facility of Jefferson Lab using two high-resolution spectrometers for electron detection, and a cryogenic target system which included a low-activity tritium cell. The data analysis used a novel technique exploiting the mirror symmetry of the two nuclei, which essentially eliminates many theoretical uncertainties in the extraction of the ratio. The results, which cover the Bjorken scaling variable range 0.19