The Photon Beam Asymmetry for KY Produ tion from the Bound Proton in Deuterium

iAbstra t This thesis presents measurements of the photon asymmetry polarisation ob-servable for the γd − → K+Λ and γd − → K+Σ0 rea tions from the bound proton in deuterium. The data were olle ted in the summer of 2007 at the Thomas Jef-ferson National A elerator Fa ility in Newport-News, Virginia, using a linearly polarised photon beam in the energy range 1.3 to 2.3 GeV. The aim of the experiment was to investigate the validity of the quasifree approximation of a bound nu leon in deuterium. This analysis fo usses on the proton and by dire tly omparing results from this analysis to those from previous similar analyses on the free proton, this issue is addressed. Ultimately, this will allow reliable results to be extra ted from analyses of hannels on the bound neutron in deuterium. The photon asymmetry is found to be positive for the entire kinemati range for both hannels with indi ations of some stru ture above entre-of-mass energies of 1.8 GeV. The K+Λ results are ompared to measurements from the free pro