On Nov. 23rd, Chan Kim successfully defended his PhD thesis, titled “Measurement of the Helicity Asymmetry E for the γp → π0p reaction in the Resonance Region.” Chan analyzed data from the “FROST” experiment at Jefferson Lab, which used a polarized proton target in the form of frozen butanol beads. A polarized photon beam was scattered from the target, and Chan was interested in collisions that produced a single pi0 meson. In his analysis, Chan determined the slight difference in scattering rates when the photons and protons had their spins aligned versus anti-aligned. This can help reveal excited baryon resonances and in turn help us better understand the different ways quarks can bind together.
