Measurement of the proton scalar polarizabilities at MAMI

2019

The electric (αE1) and magnetic (βM1) scalar polarizabilities describe the response of the nucleon to an applied electric or magnetic field. They are not only fundamental properties related to the internal structure and dynamics of the nucleon, but they are important also in other areas of physics, such as atomic structure. The values of αE1 and βM1 quoted by the Particle Data Group were determined using data on the unpolarized differential cross-section of the Compton scattering $\gamma p \to \gamma p$. The measurement of the beam asymmetry Σ3, provides an alternative approach to the extraction of the scalar polarizabilities, with different sensitivity and systematics compared to the unpol…