The STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider at Brookhaven
National Laboratory is carrying out a spin physics program in high-energy
polarized proton collisions at √s = 200 GeV and √s = 500 GeV to gain a
deeper insight into the spin structure and dynamics of the proton.

One of the main objectives of the spin physics program at RHIC is the
precise determination of the polarized gluon distribution function.
The STAR detector is well suited for the reconstruction of various
final states involving jets, π^0, π^±, e^± and γ, which allows to measure
several different processes. Recent results will be shown on the
measurement of jet production and hadron production at √s = 200 GeV.

The RHIC spin physics program has recently completed the first
data taking period in 2009 of polarized p+p collisions at √s = 500 GeV.
This opens a new era in the study of the spin-flavor structure of the proton
based on the production of W⁻⁽⁺⁾ bosons. W⁻⁽⁺⁾ bosons are
produced in anti-u + d (anti-d + u) collisions and can be detected
through their leptonic decays, e⁻ + anti-ν_e (e⁺ + ν_e), where
only the respective charged lepton is measured. The discrimination of
anti-u + d (anti-d + u) quark combinations requires distinguishing
between high p_T e⁻⁽⁺⁾ through their opposite
charge sign, which in turn requires precise tracking information.
Recent STAR results on the first measurement of W^± boson
production in polarized p+p collisions will be shown along with a
discussion of future perspectives involving the STAR Forward GEM Tracker.

Transparencies

Bernd Surrow.pdf (6.6 MB)

Bernd Surrow.pdf