Measurements of electron-proton elastic cross sections for $0.4<Q^2<5.5(GeV/c{)}^2$

Abstract

We report on precision measurements of the elastic cross section for electron-proton scattering performed in Hall C at Jefferson Lab. The measurements were made at 28 unique kinematic settings covering a range in momentum transfer of 0.4 $<$ $Q^2$ $<$ 5.5 $(GeV/c{)}^2$. These measurements represent a significant contribution to the world's cross section data set in the $Q^2$ range where a large discrepancy currently exists between the ratio of electric to magnetic proton form factors extracted from previous cross section measurements and that recently measured via polarization transfer in Hall A at Jefferson Lab.

17 pages, 18 figures; text added, some figures replaced