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We report the first measurements of transverse single-spin asymmetries for inclusive jet and jet+π± production at midrapidity from transversely polarized proton-proton collisions at √s=500 GeV. The data were collected in 2011 with the STAR detector sampled from 23 pb−1 integrated luminosity with an average beam polarization of 53%. Asymmetries are reported for jets with transverse momenta 6<pT<55 GeV/c and pseudorapidity |η|<1. Presented are measurements of the inclusive-jet azimuthal transverse single-spin asymmetry, sensitive to twist-3 initial-state quark-gluon correlators; the Collins asymmetry, sensitive to quark transversity coupled to the polarized Collins fragmentation function; and the first measurement of the “Collins-like” asymmetry, sensitive to linearly polarized gluons. Within the present statistical precision, inclusive-jet and Collins-like asymmetries are small, with the latter allowing the first experimental constraints on gluon linear polarization in a polarized proton. At higher values of jet transverse momenta, we observe the first nonzero Collins asymmetries in polarized-proton collisions, with a statistical significance of greater than 5σ. The results span a range of x similar to results from semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering but at much higher Q2. The Collins results enable tests of universality and factorization breaking in the transverse momentum-dependent formulation of perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

26 citations (Crossref) [2023-10-31] Citation Key Alias: lens.org/014-453-906-912-066, pop00015 tex.type: [object Object]