Parton model for the electroproduction of single hadrons with highly virtual photons

Abstract

In this paper we study the contrasting dynamical roles played by the "wee" and the "nonwee" partons in the process ep→e'AB (A, B being hadrons) when the negative squared mass Q² of the virtual photon becomes large. Two relevant asymptotic limits are pointed out and are shown to be controlled by the two different parton mechanisms which are possible. In each case, one of the two final hadrons is forced to emerge predominantly in the direction of the virtual photon in the laboratory. This imposes testable kinematic restrictions for either limit. Moreover, the behavior of the structure function W₂ in these two limits is related to the square of the asymptotic electromagnetic form factor times unknown functions of the scaling variables.