Constrained γZ interference corrections to parity-violating electron scattering

Abstract

We present a comprehensive analysis of γZ interference corrections to the weak charge of the proton measured in parity-violating electron scattering, including a survey of existing models and a critical analysis of their uncertainties. Constraints from parton distributions in the deep-inelastic region, together with new data on parity-violating electron scattering in the resonance region, result in significantly smaller uncertainties on the corrections compared to previous estimates. At the kinematics of the Q(weak) experiment, we determine the γZ box correction to be ℜe□(γZ)(V)=(5.57±0.36)×10⁻³. The new constraints also allow precise predictions to be made for parity-violating deep-inelastic asymmetries on the deuteron.