Search

Spin and transverse momentum dependent parton distributions - Generalized Parton Distributions, Transverse Momentum Distributions and related distributions - are at the interface between the QCD structure of the hadrons and observable quantities. The distributions are contained as linear superpositions within helicity amplitudes that factorize into universal forms at leading or next to leading order. These amplitudes are probed in high energy leptoproduction processes through angular dependent cross sections and polarization asymmetries. The phenomenological extraction of the amplitudes and the distributions is a challenging task. We will present some models for the distributions in leptoproduction processes, as well as the observables that connect with the quark-nucleon helicity amplitudes for different Deeply Virtual production possibilities.

Nucleon spin structure, transversity and the tensor charge are of central importance to understanding the role of QCD in hadronic physics. A new approach to measuring orbital angular momenta of quarks in the proton via twist 3 GPDs is shown. The “flexible parametrization” of chiral even GPDs is reviewed and its transformation into the chiral odd sector is discussed. The resulting parametrization is applied to recent data on π0 and η electroproduction.