A coherent interpretation of the form factors of the nucleon in terms of a pion cloud and constituent quarks

The recent measurements of the electric form factor of the neutron suggest that its shape may be interpreted as a smooth broad distribution with a bump at 0.3 (GeV/c)² superimposed. As a consequence the corresponding charge distribution in the Breit frame shows a negative charge extending as far out as 2 fm. It is natural to identify this charge with the pion cloud. This realisation is then used to reanalyse all old and new data of the electric and magnetic from factors of the proton and the neutron by a phenomenological fit and by a fit based on the constituent quark model. It is shown that it is possible to fit all form factors coherently with both ansaetzen and that they all show the signal of the pion cloud.Received: 6 March 2003, Published online: 17 June 2003PACS: 14.20.Dh Protons and neutrons - 13.40.Gp Electromagnetic form factors - 21.10.Ft Charge distribution