Precision Studies of Nuclei

This grant covers the period Sept. 1, 1994 to Aug. 31, 1996 with an extension to Dec. 31, 1996. The main activities funded by this research grant include work on the TJNAF (formerly CEBAF) Hall A data analysis software project and other projects in Hall A worked on by my graduate students. All of these projects are necessary for the functioning of Hall A and are therefore directly related to my Hall A research program. The Hall A experimental equipment is still in the commissioning phase with the first experiment expected to be performed in May of 1997. My effort has focused on software development, in particular on analyzing and calibrating the vertical drift chambers (VDCs) which will be used for particle tracking in the high resolution spectrometers. I have written a standalone program to determine calibration constants needed to obtain the ultimate position and angle resolution. High resolution performance will be paramount for much of the Hall A experimental program. In particular, I am spokesman on an experiment to separate the response functions in the d(e,e{prime}p)n reaction. In order to make meaningful comparisons with theory, this experiment requires accurate determination of the cross sections and it will therefore bemore » crucial to obtain the ultimate performance from the VDCs.« less