Parity violation in pion electroproduction and photoproduction with a proton target

Parity violation in pion electroproduction and photoproduction on a proton target is investigated as a possible means of elucidating the structure of the electronic and non-leptonic neutral weak currents. We calculate both parity-violating effects caused directly by Z-boson exchange, which contributes only to electron scattering, and those due to parity-violating electromagnetic and nuclear interactions. The asymmetry in electroproduction is of order 20^?5, whereas that in photoproduction is ～10^?7. The sensitivity to the parameter sin²θ_w is investigated; it is a maximum at backward electron scattering angles. In addition to the Born terms, contributions from the Δ(1232) resonance and the light vector mesons ?(776) and ω(782)] are included in the model. Fits to the observed π⁰ and π⁺ electroproduction and photoproduction cross sections indicate that the model accounts for the production data in the medium energy region.