Transverse Spin Asymmetries in the CNI Region of Elastic Proton-Proton Scattering at s=200 GeV

Abstract

Precise measurements of transverse spin asymmetries in proton-proton elastic scattering at very small values of four-momentum transfer squared, [Formula: see text], have been performed using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) polarized proton beams. The measurements of both single and double spin asymmetries were made at the center-of-mass energy [Formula: see text] GeV and in the region [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], which was accessed using Roman Pot devices incorporated into the STAR experimental setup. The obtained set of asymmetries is sensitive to the poorly known hadronic contribution to the spin-flip amplitudes and provide significant constraints for the theoretical descriptions of the reaction mechanism of proton-proton elastic scattering at high energies.