Exploring the Frontier of Strong Interactions with GlueX*

The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab explores the frontier of the strong interaction in the non-perturbative regime of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). This is done through light-meson photoproduction using a high-intensity linearly polarized photon beam, peaking between 8 - 9 GeV, incident on a liquid hydrogen target. With a nearly 4π detector acceptance, GlueX can reconstruct exclusive final states, allowing for detailed measurements of cross sections, amplitude analyses, and other observables.

GlueX emphasizes the search for hybrid mesons, which are states in which gluonic degrees of freedom can contribute to the quantum numbers of the hadron. As a foundation for these searches, GlueX has produced high-statistics measurements of conventional meson production, validating analysis techniques, and studying the production process. Recent results include the differential cross section for a₂(1320), separated by natural and unnatural parity exchange; upper limits on photoproduction of the exotic hybrid candidate π₁(1600); and high-precision measurements of spin-density matrix elements in vector-meson production. Additionally, GlueX has reported cross section measurements for near-threshold J/ψ photoproduction, providing constraints on the gluonic structure of the proton.

The experimental tools used to achieve these results will serve as a framework for future searches and characterization of exotic states. This presentation outlines the broader physics program of GlueX, highlights recent achievements, and previews future directions in mapping the light-meson spectrum and probing the structure of strongly interacting matter.