Abstract
We present a phenomenological analysis of the cos 2φ asymmetry recently measured by the COMPASS and HERMES collaborations in unpolarized semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In the kinematical regimes explored by these experiments the asymmetry arises from transverse-spin and intrinsic transverse-momentum effects. We consider the leading-twist contribution, related to the so-called Boer-Mulders transverse-polarization distribution h1 (x,kT2), and the twist-4 Cahn contribution, involving unpolarized transverse-momentum distribution functions. We show that a reasonably good fit of the preliminary data sets from COMPASS and HERMES is achieved with a Boer-Mulders function consistent with the main theoretical expectations. Our conclusion is that the COMPASS and HERMES measurements represent the first experimental evidence of the Boer-Mulders effect in SIDIS.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | 114026 |
Journal | Physical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology |
Volume | 81 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 17 2010 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)