PRESENT AND FUTURE OF HADRON SPECTROSCOPY AT JEFFERSON LAB

Abstract

The CLAS Collaboration is operating the CLAS detector at theThomas Jefferson National Laboratory (JLab) in USA. The unique combination of detector acceptance and high intensity of the continuous electron beam of CEBAF has opened the way to a comprehensive study of the hadron structure in the kinematic domain between nuclear and particle physics. Hadron spectroscopy plays a central role in the physics program of the Collaboration. Many exclusive channels have been studied with virtual and real photon beams over a wide kinematic range providing key information about the hadronic structure as well as the reactions dynamics. In this contribution, the rich physics program covered by present and future experiments will be reviewed.