Direct Measurement of \DeltaG/G at Compass

Abstract

The gluon polarization $\Delta G/G$ is the key to a further clarification of the spin structure of the nucleon. The COMPASS collaboration at CERN has set out to undertake the direct determination of this quantity. It accesses the gluon distribution via the photon-gluon fusion process (PGF) in scattering polarized muons off a polarized deuteron target. And it explores three different channels to tag the PGF: open charm production and high transverse momentum (high p_T), in either electroproduction (Q^2 > 1 GeV^2) or quasi-real photoproduction (Q^2 < 1 GeV^2). The high p_T quasi-real photoproduction channel yields the most precise measurement. The result indicates that the gluon polarization is small. I describe its experimental aspects and its theoretical framework, based on PYTHIA. And I report on the preliminary results obtained in the other two channels, and on the prospects for future analysis and data taking.

11 pages, 5 figures. Prepared for the XI Workshop on High Energy Spin Physics (SPIN05), JINR, Dubna, Russia, September 27 - October 1, 2005. To be published with the conference proceedings

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