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The electric form factor of the neutron GEn has been determined in double polarized exclusive 3He(e,e'n) scattering in quasi–elastic kinematics by measuring asymmetries A⊥, A∥ of the cross section with respect to helicity reversal of the electron, with the nuclear spin being oriented perpendicular to the momentum transfer q in case of A⊥ and parallel in case of A∥. The experiment was performed at the 855 MeV c. w. microtron MAMI at Mainz. The degree of polarization of the electron beam and of the gaseous 3He target were each about 50%. Scattered electrons and neutrons were detected in coincidence by detector arrays covering large solid angles. Quasi–elastic scattering events were reconstructed from the measured electron scattering angles ϑe, φe and the neutron momentum vector pn′ in the plane wave impulse approximation. We obtain the result (0.27 < Q2c2/GeV2 < 0.5)= 0.0334 ± 0.0033stat± 0.0028syst which is averaged over the indicated range of Q2, the squared momentum transfer. This GEn value is significantly smaller than measured from the D(e,e'n) reaction under similar kinematical conditions. To what extent final state interactions in 3He quench the GEn result is subject of calculations currently in progress elsewhere.

The Moller polarimeter was mainly designed for the cw electron beam of the Mainz microtron (MAMI). The described polarimeter covers an energy range between 25 and 185 MeV and can relatively simply be upgraded to the maximum MAMI energy of 840 MeV. The Moller-scattered electrons are momentum-analyzed in the defocusing plane of a quadrupole magnet and both Moller electrons can be detected in coincidence for symmetrical scattering with ⊖cm=90°. All polarization components of the electron beam can be measured by suitable choices of the orientation of the target polarization. For pulsed electron beams with a small duty factor and a high peak current the polarimeter can also be operated with single arm analog detection of the Moller-scattered electrons.

The neutron electric form factor GEn has been measured at the cw electron accelerator MAMI in the double polarized exclusive reactions 3He(e,e′n) and D(e,e′n) in quasi elastic kinematics with one common detector system. Experimental set-up and analysis of a 3He(e,e′n)-measurement in the range of momentum transfer Q2=0.27−0.5 (GeV/c)2 are discussed in this article. For events with low missing momentum (|Pm|⩽100 MeV/c) the PWIA analysis yields GEn=0.0352±0.0033±0.0024 with statistical and systematical error, corresponding to a quadratically added total error of 11.6% relativ. This result will be compared with preliminary results obtained from the D(e,e′n)-reaction and with data from elastic D(e,e′) scattering.

A first measurement of the asymmetry in quasielastic scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from a polarized 3 He gas target in coincidence with the knocked out neutron is reported. This measurement was made feasible by the cw beam of the 855 MeV Mainz Microtron MAMI. It allows a determination of the electric formfactor of the neutron G E n independent of binding effects to first order. At Q 2 =0.31 ( GeV /c) 2 two asymmetries A ∥ ( S He ∥ q ) and A ⊥ ( S He ⊥ q ) have been measured giving A ∥ =(−7.40±0.73)% and A ⊥ =(0.89±0.30)% . The ratio A ⊥ / A ∥ is independent of the absolute value of the electron and target polarization and yields G E n =0.035±0.012±0.005.

The determination of the neutron electric formfactor from quasielastic reactions 3H↘e(e↘,e′n) and D(e↘,e′,n↘) respectively is one of the present goals of experiments with polarized electrons at the Mainz race track microtron MAMI. A GaAsP‐photoelectron source is used at MAMI to get an 855 MeV electron beam spinpolarized to a degree of 35% at a current of 10 μA. Polarized 3He‐nuclei are produced by optical pumping metastable 3He. Scattered electrons are detected in coincidence with the recoil neutrons, the transverse spinpolarization of the neutrons may be analyzed by neutron‐proton scattering in a double wall plastic scintillator detector. A subset of the final detector set‐up has been tested successfully now by investigating the polarization transfer to the proton in reactions H(e↘,e′p↘) and D(e↘,e′p↘) and to the neutron in D(e↘,e′n↘) at a 4‐momentum transfer with −Q2=8fm−2. First data from the exclusive quasielastic collision 3H↘e(e↘,e′n) indicate a value of the neutron electric formfactor of GnE=0.035±...

In scattering polarized electrons (P1 = 44% by 9Be at an energy of 300 MeV at angles 115°⩽ϑ⩽145° a parity violating asymmetry of Acorr = (−3.5 ± 0.7 ± 0.2) × 10−6 was measured. After correction for finite electron polarization and background we deduce an experimental asymmetry of Acx = (−9.4 ± 1.8 ± 0.5) × 10−6. The quoted errors indicate the statistical and the systematic uncertainties, respectively. The asymmetry, which is dominated by the quasielastic cross section, is interpreted in terms of model-independent electron-nucleon coupling constants of the weak neutral current. The error limits in the sector of axial vector coupling constants have been improved by a factor of 3 over previous results. A model-dependent analysis for the Weinberg angle yields the result sin2θw = 0.221 ± 0.014 ± 0.004.

In the energy range of about 300 MeV, available at the Mainz- Linac, quasi-elastic scattering dominates the total cross section at backward scattering angles. This process can therefore be detected efficiently by a gas Cerenkov-counter with large solid angle. This is a prerequisit for experiments on parity violation due to the very small asymmetry effect being of the order of 1|10-5 at these energies [1]. The counting system built, consists of 12 elliptical mirrors, imaging the Cerenkov photons seen in target direction onto photomultipliers. The mirrors cover the full azimuth for polar angles 115°≦ϑ≦145°, thus covering 20% of 4π (Fig. 1). The detector has been proved to yield a statistical asymmetry error limit of 1|10-5 within half an hour running time at an average current of 20 µA. Under stable Linac conditions the error histogram is Gaussian and its width is compatible with the number of scattered electrons (Fig. 2).

The Mainz electron scattering facility provides energies between 80 and 300 MeV and scattering angles up to 158° which corres-pond to a useful momentum transfer region 0.4 ≤ q ≤ 3.0 fm−1. The accelerator and analyzing system produce approximately 1 μA average current with the overall resolution in the final spectra of usually 0.15% to 0.30%.