Drell-Yan Measurements by

Fermilab E-906/SeaQuest


The Fermilab E-906/SeaQuest experiment is part of a series of fixed target Drell-Yan experiments designed to measure the quark and antiquark structure of the nucleon and the modifications to that structure which occur when the nucleon is embedded in a nucleus.  With these measurements, we are also able to quantify the energy loss of a colored parton (quark) travelling through cold, strongly-interacting matter.

The first of these expeirments, E-866/NuSea took place at Fermilab.  The primary focus of this experiment was to measured the asymmetry of down and up antiquarks in the nucleon sea using Drell-Yan di-muons produced in 800 GeV proton interactions with hydrogen and deuterium targets. It has also made measurements of the suppression of the production of J/Psi's in nuclei over a broad range in xF and pT as well as angular distributions for Drell-Yan, J/Psi and Upsilon production.

To extend these measurements to larger Bjorken-x, E-906/SeaQuest has been approved by Fermilab.  It will use a 120 GeV proton beam extracted from the Fermilab Main Injector.  In addition to extending the down to up antiquark measurements, the experiment will also examine the modifications to the antiquark structure of the proton from nuclear binding.  This experiment currently being assembeled at Fermilab.  It is expected to be comissioned in 2010 and collect data for two years. 

Following the completion of E-906/SeaQuest, there are exciting possibilities of continuing the Drell-Yan scattering program using the 50 GeV proton ring at the J-PARC Nuclear and Particle Physics Facility.

Recent Drell-Yan Research Highlights

Additional Information



Paul E. Reimer
[email protected]
9 August 2011