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Abstract:

Measurements of the neutral current cross sections for deep inelastic scattering in e ^- p collisions at HERA with a longitudinally polarised electron beam are presented. The single-differential cross-sections d σ/dQ ², d σ/dx and d σ/dy and the double-differential cross sections in Q ² and x are measured in the kinematic region y<0.9 and Q ²>185∈G��� ² for both positively and negatively polarised electron beams and for each polarisation state separately. The measurements are based on an integrated luminosity of 169.9∈pb ^-1 taken with the ZEUS detector in 2005 and 2006 at a centre-of-mass energy of 318∈GeV. The structure functions F3 and xF 3 ^{γ Z} are determined by combining the e ^- p results presented in this paper with previously measured e ⁺ p neutral current data. The asymmetry parameter A ^- is used to demonstrate the parity violating effects of electroweak interactions at large spacelike photon virtuality. The measurements agree well with the predictions of the Standard Model. © 2009 Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica.

Abstract:

A search for excited quarks is performed using the full e ^± p data sample collected by the H1 experiment at HERA, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 475   pb ^{- 1}. The electroweak decays of excited quarks q ^* → q γ, q ^* → q Z and q ^* → q W with subsequent hadronic or leptonic decays of the W and Z bosons are considered. No evidence for first generation excited quark production is found. Mass dependent exclusion limits on q ^* production cross sections and on the ratio f / Λ of the coupling to the compositeness scale are derived within gauge mediated models. These limits extend the excluded region compared to previous excited quark searches. © 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Abstract:

The dissociation of virtual photons, γ^{{star operator}} p → X p, in events with a large rapidity gap between X and the outgoing proton, as well as in events in which the leading proton was directly measured, has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA. The data cover photon virtualities Q² > 2   GeV² and γ^{{star operator}} p centre-of-mass energies 40 < W < 240   GeV, with MX > 2   GeV, where MX is the mass of the hadronic final state, X. Leading protons were detected in the ZEUS leading proton spectrometer. The cross section is presented as a function of t, the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex and Φ, the azimuthal angle between the positron scattering plane and the proton scattering plane. It is also shown as a function of Q² and xP, the fraction of the proton's momentum carried by the diffractive exchange, as well as β, the Bjorken variable defined with respect to the diffractive exchange. © 2009 Elsevier B.V.