Using Polarized Positrons to Probe Physics Beyond the Standard Model

A high intensity polarized positron beam, as part of the JLAB 12 GeV program and the proposed electron-ion collider (EIC), can provide a unique opportunity for testing the Standard Model (SM) and probing for new physics. The combination of high luminosity with polarized electrons and positrons incident on protons and deuterons can isolate important effects and distinguish between possible new physics scenarios in a manner that will complement current experimental efforts. A comparison of cross sections between polarized electron and positron beams will allow for an extraction of the poorly known weak neutral current coupling combination 2C(3u)-C-3d and would complement the proposed plan for a precision extraction of the combination 2C(2u)-C-d at the EIC. Precision measurements of these neutral weak couplings would constrain new physics scenarios including Leptoquarks, R-parity violating supersymmetry, and electron and quark compositeness. The dependence of the charged current cross section on the longitudinal polarization of the positron beam will provide an independent probe to test the chiral structure of the electroweak interactions. A polarized positron can probe charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) through a search for e(+) -> tau(+) transitions in a manner that is independent and complementary to the proposed e(-) -> tau(-) search at the EIC. A positron beam incident on an electron in a stationary nuclear target will also allow for a dark-photon (A') search via the annihilation process e(+) + e(-) A' + gamma.