A Rosetta Stone Relating Conventions In Photo-Meson Partial Wave Analyses

Understand

A new generation of complete experiments in pseudoscalar meson photo-production is being pursued at several laboratories.

• While new data are emerging, there is some confusion regarding definitions of asymmetries and the conventions used in partial wave analyses (PWA).
• We present expressions for constructing asymmetries as coordinate-system independent ratios of cross sections, along with the names used for these ratios by different PWA groups.
• (This update reflects a recent change in the definition of an asymmetry as used by one group.)