Transverse single spin asymmetry for very forward neutron production in polarized $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 510$ GeV

Abstract

In the high-energy $p+p$ collisions, the transverse single spin asymmetry for very forward neutron production has been interpreted by an interference between $\pi$ (spin flip) and $a_1$ (spin non-flip) exchange with a non-zero phase shift. The $\pi$ and $a_1$ exchange model predicted the neutron asymmetry would increase in magnitude with transverse momentum ($p_{\scriptsize{\textrm{T}}}$) in $p_{\scriptsize{\textrm{T}}} < 0.4$ GeV/$c$. In June 2017, the RHICf experiment installed an electromagnetic calorimeter at the zero-degree area of the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and measured the neutron asymmetry in a wide $p_{\scriptsize{\textrm{T}}}$ range of $0 < p_{\scriptsize{\textrm{T}}} < 1$ GeV/$c$ from polarized $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 510$ GeV. The RHICf data allows us to investigate the kinematic dependence of the neutron asymmetry in detail, which not only can test the $\pi$ and $a_1$ exchange model in the higher $p_{\scriptsize{\textrm{T}}}$ range but also can study the $\sqrt{s}$ dependence by comparing with the previous measurements. We present the preliminary result and analysis status of the neutron asymmetry measured by the RHICf experiment. In order to understand the RHICf result, a theoretical calculation other than Reggeon exchange will also be discussed.