On the pion distribution amplitude shape

We argue that the recent BaBar data on γ → π e.m. transition form factor at large photon virtuality supports the idea that pion distribution amplitude (DA) is close to unity with ϕ_π^′(0)/6 ≫ 1 at a normalization point of μ = 0.6–0.8 GeV. Such pion DA can be obtained in the effective chiral quark model. The possible flat shape of the pion DA implies that the standard expansion of the DA in Gegenbauer polynomials can be divergent. On basis of chiral models we predict that the two-pion DA should exhibit anomalous endpoint behaviour for pions in the S-wave and that such feature is absent for higher partial waves. The latter implies that the ρ, f ₂, etc. meson DAs have no anomalous endpoint behaviour. Possible implications of such pion DA for other hard exclusive processes are shortly discussed.     

Experimental determination of the structure function of the pion

It was shown in the preceeding letter that dimuon production by 22 GeV pions proceeds in part through qq? annihilations in agreement with the Drell-Yan model. Using these data we extract the quark distribution function of the pion. Comparison of our structure function with that obtained from data at higher energy reveals differences compatible with the QCD calculations of the Q²-dependence (scale breaking) of the pion structure function.     

Sum rules and the pion form factor in QCD

We propose a new approach to the investigation of the pion electromagnetic form factor in QCD based on the systematic use of the QCD sum rule technique. The theoretical curve obtained for F_π(Q²) is in good agreement with existing experimental data.     

Analysis of pion electroproduction data in terms of a pion distribution function of the proton

Experimental data on the longitudinal π⁺ electroproduction on hydrogen have been analyzed in terms of a pion distribution function of the proton. This interpretation is based on the assumption that the pion can be considered as a parton in the nucleon for low momentum transfer Q². For the kinematical conditions photon mass Q² < 1 GeV² and electron energy loss ν > 2.2 GeV the pion electroproduction in the direction of the virtual photon can be viewed upon as quasielastic eπ⁺ → e′π⁺ scattering. Using the impulse approximation the pion distribution function of the proton can be deduced. According to the distribution function evaluated from pion electroproduction in the infinite momentum frame, the physical proton has a 3% admixture of the nπ⁺ state and the π⁺ in the nπ⁺ state carries 0.6% of the proton momentum.     

The structure function of the pion

The data on muon-pair production in pion interactions on a nuclear target are reanalysed in the light of what we know about nucleon structure functions in a nuclear environment. A consistent picture of the pion structure function is obtained, which is compatible with the evolution of a hard valence quark distribution atQ ²=2.5 GeV². Vector dominance is used to estimate the hadronic component of the photon structure function atQ ²=2.5 GeV² and it is found to saturate the data there.     

Pion form factor in QCD: How to calculate?

The calculation of the pion form factor F _π(Q ²) in QCD is discussed. The main points of the nonlocal condensate QDC sum rule approach are considered and its results for the pion form factor are shown compared with the predictions of the perturbative and lattice QCD. The local duality (LD) approach for the pion FF in QCD is studied. It is shown that the main parameter of the approach for Q ² ≥ 2 GeV², namely, s ₀^LD(Q ²) should grow with an increase in Q ², rather than remain constant.     

Double pion photoproduction off 40Ca

The photoproduction of π ⁰ π ⁰ and π ⁰ π ^± pairs off ⁴⁰Ca has been investigated with the TAPS detector using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer at the Mainz MAMI accelerator. Data have been taken for incident photon energies in the energy range from 200-820MeV. Total cross-sections have been extracted from threshold up to the maximum photon energy and invariant-mass distributions of the pion pairs have been obtained for incident photon energies between 400-500MeV and 500-550MeV. The double π ⁰ invariant-mass distributions show some relative enhancement with respect to the mixed charge channel at small invariant masses. The effects are smaller than previously observed for lead nuclei and the distributions do not significantly deviate from carbon data. The data are in good agreement with the results of recent calculations in the framework of the BUU model, with careful treatment of final-state interaction effects but without an explicit in-medium modification of scalar, iso-scalar pion pairs. This means that for Ca most of the experimentally observed effect can be explained by final-state interactions. Only at low incident photon energies there is still a small low mass enhancement of the double π ⁰ data over the BUU results.     

Vertex QCD sum rules,quark model and pion wave function

It is shown that the predictions of the QCD sum rules (SR) and the quark model for the low energy pion wave function can be reconciled within the so-called vertex SR in exclusive kinematics. In contrast to the standard procedure, non-singular terms asx→0 in correlation functions are summed up by means of the conformal symmetry arguments. The soft contribution into the pion form factor is argued to dominate at least up toQ ²～4–6 GeV²     

The parton distribution functions of the photon and the structure functionF 2 γ (x,Q 2)

We present new parametrisations of the parton distribution functions of the photon including the first parametrisation in next-to-leading order QCD. We take into account some recent theoretical considerations pertaining to the gluon content of the photon,g ^γ. We argue that if an evolution is started at very lowQ ² and a fit to allF ₂ ^γ data performed with no constraints on the gluon distribution, then physically unreasonable gluon distributions may result. Our results support recent indications thatQ ₀ ² ≤1 GeV² is too low a value from which to start a perturbative evolution. Starting our evolution atQ ₀ ² =5.3 GeV², we evolve up inQ ² using a modified version of Rossi's Ansatz. The limited lever arm inQ ² leads to limited sensitivity to the QCD scale parameter Λ, though there is a preference for low values in the 0.1–0.2 GeV range. We also present new parametrisations of the singular asymptotic quark and gluon distribution functions of the photon which we believe are more accurate than those in current use.     

Electromagnetic vertex function of the pion at T>0

The matrix element of the electromagnetic current between pion states is calculated in quenched lattice QCD at a temperature of T=0.93 T_c. The non-perturbatively improved Sheikholeslami–Wohlert action is used together with the corresponding improved vector current. The electromagnetic vertex function is extracted for pion masses down to 360 MeV and momentum transfers Q²≤2.7 GeV².     

The role of the pion cloud in the interpretation of the valence light-cone wavefunction of the nucleon

The pion cloud renormalises the light-cone wavefunction of the nucleon which is measured in hard, exclusive photon-nucleon reactions. We discuss the leading twist contributions to high-energy exclusive reactions taking into account both the pion cloud and perturbative QCD physics. The nucleon’s electromagnetic form-factor at high Q² is proportional to the bare nucleon probability Z and the cross-sections for hard (real at large angle or deeply virtual) Compton scattering are proportional to Z². Our present knowledge of the pion-nucleon system is consistent with Z = 0.7 ± 0.2. If we apply just perturbative QCD to extract a light-cone wavefunction directly from these hard exclusive cross-sections, then the light-cone wavefunction that we extract measures the three valence quarks partially screened by the pion cloud of the nucleon. We discuss how this pion cloud renormalisation effect might be understood at the quark level in terms of the (in-)stability of the perturbative Dirac vacuum in low energy QCD.     

Gluon distributions in real and virtual photon and the photon structure function

Gluon distributions in real and virtual photons are calculated using evolution equations in the NLO approximation. The quark distributions in the photon determined on the basis of the QCD sum rule approach in [1] are taken as an input. It is shown that gluon distribution in the photon can be reliably determined up tox=0.03÷0.05, much lower than the corresponding values in the case of quark distributions. Two variants of the calculations are considered: (1) it is assumed that there are no intrinsic gluons in the photon at some low normalization pointQ ²=Q ₀ ² ∼1GeV²; (2) it is assumed that gluonic content of the photon at lowQ ₀ ² is described by gluonic content of vector mesonsρ, ω, ϕ. The gluon distributions in these two variants appear to be different. This fact permits one to clarify the origin of nonperturbative gluonic content of the photon by comparing the results with experiment. Structure functionsF ₂(x) for real and virtual photon are calculated and it is shown that in the regionx≥0.2 where QCD approach is valid, there is a good agreement with experiment.     

Asymptotic bounds on pion form factor

A technique recently developed for inelastic electron proton scattering is applied for inelastic electron pion scattering. It is found that all the derivatives of off-shell form factor of pion nears=m _π ² and for largeQ ² are bounded from above, provided that the dispersion relation for the form factor requires no more than one subtraction. The elastic pion form factor is bounded by [lnQ ²] ^c /Q ², wherec is any positive constant.     

Theoretical Description and Measurement of the Pion–Photon Transition Form Factor

Detailed predictions for the scaled pion–photon transition form factor are given, derived with the method of light-cone sum rules and using pion distribution amplitudes with two and three Gegenbauer coefficients obtained from QCD sum rules with nonlocal condensates. These predictions agree well with all experimental data that are compatible with QCD scaling (and collinear factorization), but disagree with the high-Q ² data of the BaBar Collaboration that grow with the momentum. A good agreement of our predictions with results obtained from AdS/QCD models and Dyson–Schwinger computations is found.     

Photon-pion transition form factor at high photon virtualities within the nonlocal chiral quark model

Recently, the BABAR collaboration reported the measurements of the photon-pion transition form factor F _πγγ*(Q ²), which are in strong contradiction to the predictions of the standard factorization approach to perturbative QCD. In the present work, based on a nonperturbative approach to the QCD vacuum and on rather universal assumptions, we show that there exist two asymptotic regimes for the pion transition form factor. One regime with the asymptotic behavior F _πγ*γ(Q ²) ∼ 1/Q ² corresponds to the result of the standard QCD factorization approach, while other violates the standard factorization and leads to asymptotic behavior as F _πγ*γ(Q ²) ∼ ln(Q ²)/Q ². Furthermore, considering specific nonlocal chiral quark models, we find the region of parameters, where the existing CELLO, CLEO and BABAR data for the pion transition form factor are successfully described.