Spin alignment of vector meson in e+e- annihilation at Z0 pole

We calculate the spin density matrix of the vector meson produced in e+e- annihilation at Z^0 pole. We show that the data imply a significant polarization for the antiquark which is created in the fragmentation process of the polarized initial quark and combines with the fragmenting quark to form the vector meson. The direction of polarization is opposite to that of the fragmenting quark and the magnitude is of the order of 0.5. A qualitative explanation of this result based on the LUND string fragmentation model is given.Comment: 15 pages, 2 fgiures; submitted to Phys. Rev.

Spin Alignment of Vector Meson in High Energy Reactions

The recent data on the polarization of vector meson at LEP show that the vector mesons favor the helicity zero state. We calculate the helicity density matrix of vector meson which contains a polarized fragmenting quark by adding the spin of the fragmenting quark and that of the antiquark created in the fragmentation. The data at LEP imply a significant polarization for the antiquark in the opposite direction as that of the fragmenting quark. We extend the calculations to other reactions and make predictions for vector mesons in deeply inelastic lepton-nucleon scatterings and polarized $pp$ collisions.Comment: 4 pages,3 figures, Talk given at 3rd Circum-Pan-Pacific Symposium on "High Energy Spin Physics", Beijing, China, Oct.8-13, 200

Nuclear dependence of azimuthal asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering

Within the framework of a generalized factorization, semi-inclusive deeply inelastic scattering (SIDIS) cross sections can be expressed as a series of products of collinear hard parts and transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) parton distributions and correlations. The azimuthal asymmetry $of unpolarized SIDIS in the small transverse momentum region will depend on both twist-2 and 3 TMD quark distributions in target nucleons or nuclei. Nuclear broadening of these twist-2 and 3 quark distributions due to final-state multiple scattering in nuclei is investigated and the nuclear dependence of the azimuthal asymmetry$$ is studied. It is shown that the azimuthal asymmetry is suppressed by multiple parton scattering and the transverse momentum dependence of the suppression depends on the relative shape of the twist-2 and 3 quark distributions in the nucleon. A Gaussian ansatz for TMD twist-2 and 3 quark distributions in nucleon is used to demonstrate the nuclear dependence of the azimuthal asymmetry and to estimate the smearing effect due to fragmentation.Comment: 9 pages in RevTex with 2 figure