Sivers effect and transverse single spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan processes

Sivers asymmetry, adopted to explain transverse single spin asymmetries (SSA) observed in inclusive pion production, p(transv. polarized) p --> pion + X and p-bar(transv. polarized) p --> pion + X is used here to compute SSA in Drell-Yan processes; in this case, by considering the differential cross section in the lepton-pair invariant mass, rapidity and transverse momentum, other mechanisms which may originate SSA cannot contribute. Estimates for RHIC experiments are given

Transverse single spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan processes

Recently, it has been shown, contrary to previous beliefs, that the k_T distribution of quarks in a transversely polarized proton can be asymmetric. This ``Sivers effect'' had already been used to explain transverse single spin asymmetries (SSA) observed in inclusive pion production, p(transv. polarized) p --> pion + X and p-bar(transv. polarized) p --> pion + X. In such channels, however, other mechanisms, like the ``Collins effect'' (a k_T asymmetric fragmentation of a transversely polarized quark into pions), may generate SSA. The Sivers asymmetry is used here to compute SSA in Drell-Yan processes; in this case, by considering the differential cross-section in the lepton-pair invariant mass, rapidity and transverse momentum, other mechanisms which may originate SSA cannot contribute. Estimates for RHIC experiments are given

General helicity formalism for Single and Double Spin Asymmetries in p p --> pion + X

We consider within a generalized QCD factorization approach, the high energy inclusive polarized process p p --> pion + X, including all intrinsic partonic motions. Several new spin and k_T-dependent soft functions appear and contribute to cross sections and spin asymmetries. We present here formal expressions for transverse single spin asymmetries and double longitudinal ones. The transverse single spin asymmetry, A_N, is considered in detail, and all contributions are evaluated numerically. It is shown that the azimuthal phase integrations strongly suppress most contributions, leaving at work mainly the Sivers effect

Non-Standard Time Reversal and Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries

A system of quarks interacting with chiral fields is shown to provide a physical realization of a "non-standard" time reversal for particle multiplets which mixes the multiplet components. We argue that, if the internal structure of the nucleon is governed by a chiral dynamics, the so-called T-odd quark distribution functions are not forbidden by time-reversal invariance and hence might be non vanishing. This agrees with some other recent results. From a phenomenological point of view, this would give rise to single-spin asymmetries in inclusive processes involving a transversely polarized nucleon: in particular, in pion lepto- and hadro-production and in Drell-Yan processes

Quark fragmentation and off-diagonal helicity density matrix elements for vector meson production

As confirmed by some recent LEP data on phi, K^* and D^*0 production, final state interactions in quark fragmentation may give origin to non-zero values of the off-diagonal element rho_{1,-1} of the helicity density matrix of vector mesons produced in e^+ e^- annihilations: we give estimates for rho_{1,-1} of vector mesons with a large x_E and collinear with the parent jet, relating its size and sign to the associated hard constituent dynamics. We mention possible non-zero values of rho_{1,-1} in several other processes

Transversity and Collins Functions: from e+ e- --> h1 h2 X to SIDIS Processes

We present [1] the first simultaneous extraction of the transversity distribution and the Collins fragmentation function, obtained through a combined analysis of experimental data on azimuthal asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS), from the HERMES and COMPASS Collaborations, and in e+ e- --> h1 h2 X processes, from the Belle Collaboration

Can the Collins mechanism explain the large transverse single spin asymmetries observed in p(transv. polarized) p --> pion X?

We present a calculation of inclusive polarised and unpolarised cross sections within pQCD and the factorisation scheme, taking into account the parton intrinsic motion, k_T, in distribution and fragmentation functions, as well as in the elementary dynamics. We show, in contradiction with earlier claims, that the Collins mechanism is suppressed and unable to explain the large asymmetries found in p(transv. polarized) p --> pion X at moderate to large Feynman x_F. The Sivers effect is not suppressed

Parton Densities and Fragmentation Functions from Polarized Lambda Production in Semi-Inclusive DIS

We consider the longitudinal polarization of Lambda and Lambda-bar produced in the current fragmentation region of polarized deep inelastic scattering. We show how the various cross sections can be used to test the underlying parton dynamics, and how one can extract information about certain parton densities which are poorly known, in particular the polarized strange density sum Delta-s(x) + Delta-s-bar(x), and about fragmentation functions which are totally unknown and which are difficult to access by other means. We show also how one can obtain information concerning the intriguing question as to whether s(x) = s-bar(x) and whether Delta-s(x) = Delta-s-bar(x)