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A beam-normal single-spin asymmetry generated in the scattering of transversely polarized electrons from unpolarized nucleons is an observable related to the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange process. We report a 2% precision measurement of the beam-normal single-spin asymmetry in elastic electron-proton scattering with a mean scattering angle of θlab=7.9° and a mean energy of 1.149 GeV. The asymmetry result is Bn=−5.194±0.067(stat)±0.082 (syst) ppm. This is the most precise measurement of this quantity available to date and therefore provides a stringent test of two-photon exchange models at far-forward scattering angles (θlab→0) where they should be most reliable. 

This article discusses some of the history of parity-violation experiments that culminated in the Q weak experiment, which provided the first determination of the proton's weak charge [Formula: see text]. The guiding principles necessary to the success of that experiment are outlined, followed by a brief description of the Q weak experiment. Several consistent methods used to determine [Formula: see text] from the asymmetry measured in the Q weak experiment are explained in detail. The weak mixing angle sin 2 θ w determined from [Formula: see text] is compared with results from other experiments. A description of the procedure for using the [Formula: see text] result on the proton to set TeV-scale limits for new parity-violating semileptonic physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM) is presented. By also considering atomic parity-violation results on cesium, the article shows how this result can be generalized to set limits on BSM physics, which couples to any combination of valence quark flavors. Finally, the discovery space available to future weak-charge measurements is explored.