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Separated Response Functions In Exclusive, Forward Π± Electroproduction On Deuterium, G. M. Huber, H. P. Blok, A. Klein, L. M. Qin, K. Vansyoc, Jefferson Lab, Fπ Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Background: Measurements of forward exclusive meson production at different squared four-momenta of the exchanged virtual photon, Q², and at different four-momentum transfer, t, can be used to probe QCD's transition from meson-nucleon degrees of freedom at long distances to quark-gluon degrees of freedom at short scales. Ratios of separated response functions in π^- and π⁺ electroproduction are particularly informative. The ratio for transverse photons may allow this transition to be more easily observed, while the ratio for longitudinal photons provides a crucial verification of the assumed pole dominance, needed for reliable extraction of the pion form …