We compare the inclusive transverse momentum spectra of single pions above pT = 3 GeV/c measured in proton-proton (p-p) collisions at sqrt(s) = 21.7 - 23.8 GeV, with next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD (pQCD) predictions using recent parametrizations of the parton densities and parton-to-pion fragmentation functions. Although the dependence on the theoretical scales is large, the calculations can reproduce the experimental results both in magnitude and shape. Based on the existing data and on a pQCD $\sqrt{s}$-rescaling of the measured spectra, we provide a practical parametrization of the baseline p-p pion transverse momentum spectrum to be compared to nucleus-nucleus collisions data at sqrt(s_NN) = 22.4 GeV.
We explore quark-hadron duality in semi-inclusive pion electroproduction on proton and neutron targets. Using the spin-flavor symmetric quark model, we compute ratios of pi+ and pi- cross sections for both unpolarized and polarized scattering, and discuss realizations of duality in several symmetry breaking scenarios. The model calculations allow one to understand some of the key features of recent data on semi-inclusive pion production at low energies.
We explore the feasibility of directly extracting the large-x valence d/u ratio through a measurement of pions in the current fragmentation region of semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering from protons.
Semi-inclusive processes are very promising to investigate $XYZ$ hadrons at the next generation of electron-hadron facilities, because they generally boast higher cross sections. We extend our formalism of exclusive photoproduction to semi-inclusive final states. The inclusive production cross sections for charged axial-vector $Z$ states from pion exchange are predicted. We isolate the contribution of $Δ$ resonances at small missing mass. Production near threshold is shown to be enhanced roughly by a factor of two compared to the exclusive reaction. We benchmark the model with data of semi-inc…
We present a study of inclusive direct-photon and neutral pion production in hadronic interactions that focuses on a comparison of the ratio of photon and pion yields with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative QCD (NLO pQCD).
We evaluate the single target-spin sin(phi_h) and sin(2ϕ_h) azimuthal asymmetries in the semi-inclusive deep inelastic lepton scattering off longitudinally polarized proton target under HERMES kinematic conditions. A good agreement with the HERMES data can be achieved using only the twist-2 distribution and fragmentation functions.
The forward inclusive pion double charge exchange reaction, ^{16}O(pi^-,pi^+)X, at T_0 = 0.50 and 0.75 GeV has been studied in the kinematical region where an additional pion production is forbidden by energy-momentum conservation. The experiment was performed with the SKS spectrometer at KEK PS. The measured ratio of double charge exchange cross-section for these energies dsigma(0.50 GeV)/dOmega / dsigma(0.75 GeV)/dOmega = 1.7 +/- 0.2, disagrees with the value of 7.2 predicted within the conventional sequential single charge exchange mechanism. Possible reasons for the disagreement are discus…
We analyze the experimental data on the inclusive double differential cross section by neutrinos charged current, measured by T2K, with the same model which was successful for the MiniBooNE quasielastic cross sections. As in our previous analysis the multinucleon component is needed in order to reproduce the data. For the total cross section our evaluation is smaller than the SciBooNE data above 1 GeV. This indicates the opening of a new channel not included in our evaluation, presumably the two pion emission channel. We also check that our description holds for the exclusive single pion produ…
On the basis of the mechanism proposed for one-spin asymmetries in inclusive hadron production we specify an $x$--dependence of asymmetries in inclusive processes of pion production. The main role in generation of this asymmetry belongs to the orbital angular momentum ofquark-antiquark cloud in internal structure of constituent quarks. The $x$--dependence of asymmetries in the charged pion production at large $x$ reflects the corresponding dependence of constituent quark polarization in the polarized proton.
The leading and sub-leading order results for pion electroproduction in polarized and unpolarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering, are considered putting emphasis on transverse momentum dependent effects appearing in azimuthal asymmetries. In particular the spin-dependent (single, double) and spin-independent asymmetries of the distributions in the azimuthal angle of the pion related to the lepton scattering plane are discussed.
We investigate unambiguities in the extraction of the $\bar d - \bar u$ asymmetry from semi-inclusive production of pions in DIS. The role of several effects beyond the quark-parton model (QPM) which lead to $N_p^{π^+} \ne N_n^{π^+}$ and $N_p^{π^-} \ne N_n^{π^-}$ and may therefore cloud such an extraction is studied. The results are discussed in the context of the recent HERMES data. We find that the interaction of the resolved photon with the nucleon significantly modifies the observed $\bar d - \bar u$ asymmetry. The exclusive elastic production of $ρ$ mesons plays a similar role for the lar…
We present a phenomenological approach to the description of single transverse spin asymmetries (STSA) in inclusive hadron production. It generalizes the pQCD formalism for high energies and large p_T inclusive hadron production processes, A+B -> C+X, by incorporating quark intrinsic motion in the spin dependent quark distribution and fragmentation functions. We concentrate here on spin and k_T effects in the fragmentation process of a polarized quark into the observed hadron, and give predictions for STSA in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering, l + p -> pion + X and gamma^* + p -> pion +…
We reconsider the possibility that the tension in the $|V_{cb}|$ determinations from inclusive and exclusive $B$ decay modes is due to a new physics effect. We modify the Standard Model effective Hamiltonian for semileptonic $b \to c$ transitions including a tensor operator with a lepton flavour dependent coupling $ε_T^\ell$, and investigate separately the muon and electron modes. The interference term between SM and NP, proportional to the lepton mass, has different impact in the inclusive and exclusive $B$ modes to muon. Moreover, even when the lepton mass is small as for the electron, the N…
The contribution of the higher-twist mechanism to the large-$p_T$ inclusive gluon production cross section in $πp$ collisions is calculated in case of the principle of maximum conformality and Brodsky-Lepage-Mackenzie approaches in the dependence of the pion distribution amplitudes. The higher-twist cross sections obtained in the framework of the principle of maximum conformality and Brodsky-Lepage-Mackenzie approaches, and compared and analyzed in relation to the leading-twist cross sections and each other.
We investigate the role of exclusive channels in semi-inclusive electroproduction of pions and kaons. Using the QCD factorization theorem for hard exclusive processes we evaluate the cross sections for exclusive pseudoscalar and vector meson production in terms of generalized parton distributions and meson distribution amplitudes. We investigate the uncertainties arising from the modeling of the nonperturbative input quantities. Combining these results with available experimental data, we compare the cross sections for exclusive channels to that obtained from quark fragmentation in semi-inclus…
An explicit pionic component of the nucleon may be identified by measuring polarized $Δ^{++}$ fragments produced in deep-inelastic scattering off polarized protons. The pion-exchange model predicts highly correlated polarizations of the $Δ^{++}$ and target proton, in marked contrast with the competing diquark fragmentation process.
Some emerging difficulties in the theoretical description of exclusive semileptonic $\bar B$ decays are discussed in the context of the quark model. While there are no unambiguous problems at this time, I discuss physics beyond the valence quark model which should eventually be probed by precision measurements of $\bar B$ semileptonic decays.
We discuss the role of some nonpartonic effects which lead to $N_p^{π^+} \ne N_n^{π^+}$ and $N_p^{π^-} \ne N_n^{π^-}$ and may therefore modify the conclusionon the $\bar d - \bar u$ asymmetry extracted from semi-inclusive production of pions in DIS. Quantitative estimations for resolved photon and exclusive $ρ^0$ are given as examples. The results are discussed in the context of recent HERMES data.
We calculate the single spin asymmetry in the inclusive pion production in proton-proton collisions. We generate the asymmetry at the level of fragmentation function (Collins effect) by the Lund coloured string mechanism. We compare our results with the Fermilab E704 data from polarized proton-proton collisions at 200 GeV. We show that the transversely polarized quark densities at high Bjorken x strongly differ from these predicted by the SU(6) proton wave function.
We present a study on the beam single spin asymmetries $A_{LU}^{\sinϕ_h}$ of $π^+$, $π^-$ and $π^0$ production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering process, by considering Collins effect and the $g^\perp D_1$ term simultaneously. We calculate the twist-3 distributions $e(x, \bm k_T^2)$ and $g^\perp(x,\bm k_T^2)$ for the valence quarks inside the proton in a spectator model. We consider two different options for the form of diquark propagator, as well as two different choices for the model parameters in the calculation. Using the model results, we estimate the beam spin asymmetries $A_{L…
We correct our analysis of the HERMES experiment for the azimuthal sin(phi)-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive hadroproduction in DIS on longitudinally (with respect to the lepton momentum) polarized target because of discovered misprint in sign in the paper P.J.Mulders and R.D.Tangerman, Nucl. Phys. B 461 (1996) 197.
We consider a sub-leading twist chiral-odd pion fragmentation function and explore its contribution in single pion semi-inclusive electroproduction. We evaluate the single beam-spin azimuthal asymmetry $A_{LU}$ and the double spin asymmetry $A_{LT}$ in polarized electroproduction of pions from an unpolarized and transversely polarized nucleon respectively. The beam asymmetry is expressed as the product of chiral-odd, and $T$-odd and even distribution and fragmentation functions. The double spin asymmetry contains information on the quark's transversity distribution. In a quark diquark-spectato…
We study the single spin asymmetry (SSA) for the pion production with large transverse momentum p_T in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering $ep^\uparrow\to eπX$. We derive the twist-3 cross section formula for SSA, focussing on the soft-gluon-pole contributions associated with the twist-3 distribution for the nucleon and with the twist-3 fragmentation function for the pion. We present a simple estimate of the asymmetries due to each twist-3 effect from nucleon and pion, respectively, by fixing the overall strength of the relevant nonperturbative quantities by the data on the SSA A_N in $p^…
In this talk, we present NLO pQCD predictions for inclusive pion and direct photon nuclear modifications in p+Pb collisions at mid- and forward rapidities at the LHC. In addition to the minimum bias predictions, we also address the centrality dependence with spatially dependent nuclear PDFs. To understand which regions of the nuclear momentum fraction $x_2$ these observables predominantly probe, we present also the underlying $x_2$ distributions at different rapidities. We are led to conclude that the isolated photons at forward rapidities are more sensitive to the small-$x_2$ dynamics than th…
We argue that the collinear factorization of the fragmentation functions in high energy hadron and nuclei collisions breaks down at transverse momenta kT < Qs/g due to high parton densities in the colliding hadrons and/or nuclei. We calculate, at next-to-leading order in projectile parton density and to all orders in target parton density, the double-inclusive cross section for production of a pair of gluons in the scalar J^(PC)=0^(++) channel. Using the low energy theorems of QCD we find the inclusive cross section for pi-meson production.
We show that the transverse momentum dependent transversity function is proportional to the longitudinal polarization of a quark in a transversely polarized proton. This result suggests an alternative, convenient method for determining transversity, without knowing unusual fragmentation functions. The method consists of measuring the double spin azimuthal asymmetry in semi-inclusive pion leptoproduction by a transversely polarized proton target. The asymmetry, which is twist 3, is estimated to be more than 10% under the most favorable conditions. The experiment we suggest is feasible at facili…
We calculated the single spin asymmetry in the inclusive pion production in the fragmentation region of transversely polarized proton-proton collisions. We generated the asymmetry at the level of fragmentation function (Collins effect) by the Lund coloured string mechanism. We compared our results to the presently available experimental data. We obtained a qualitative agreement with the data after assuming that the transverse polarizations of the $u$ and the $d$ quarks in the proton are +1 and -1, respectively, at x_B = 1.
We study the beam spin asymmetry $A_{LU}^{\sinϕ_h}$ in semi-inclusive $π^0$ electroproduction contributed by the T-odd twist-3 distribution function $g^\perp(x,k_T^2)$. We calculate this transverse momentum dependent distribution function for the $u$ and $d$ quarks inside the proton in a spectator model including the scalar and the axial-vector diquark components. Using the model results, we estimate the asymmetry $A_{LU}^{\sinϕ_h}$ in the $e p \rightarrow e^\prime π^0 X$ process in which the lepton beam is longitudinally polarized. The model prediction is compared with the data measured by th…
Semi-inclusive electron scattering provides a powerful tool with which to study the spin and flavor distributions in the proton. Greater kinematic coverage at the proposed Electron-Polarized Ion Collider facility will enable the valence d/u ratio to be determined at large x through pion production. At small x, pion production can be used to extract the d-bar/u-bar ratio, complementing existing semi-inclusive measurements by HERMES, and Drell-Yan data from Fermilab. Asymmetries in heavier quark flavors can also be probed by tagging strange and charm hadrons in the final state.
We investigate the role of the choice of the upper phase space limit Q in the Curci-Furmanski-Petronzio (CFP) factorization scheme, which exploits dimensional regularization MS scheme. We examine how the choice of Q influences the evaluation of the standard DGLAP (inclusive) evolution kernels, gaining experience needed in the construction of the exclusive Monte Carlo modelling of the NLO DGLAP evolution. In particular, we uncover three types of mechanisms which assure the independence on Q of the inclusive DGLAP kernels calculated in the CFP scheme. We use the examples of three types of the Fe…
Recent data from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering collected by the HERMES collaboration allow for the first time to discuss how the transverse-momentum dependence of unpolarized distribution and fragmentation functions is affected by the flavor of the involved partons. A model built with flavor-dependent Gaussian transverse-momentum distributions fits data better than the same flavor-independent model. The current analysis is performed for totally unpolarized scattering of leptons off protons and deuterons, with detected pions in the final state. There are convincing indications of fla…
A model for dihadron fragmentation functions is briefly outlined, that describes the fragmentation of a quark in two unpolarized hadrons. The parameters are tuned to the output of the PYTHIA event generator for two-hadron semi-inclusive production in deep inelastic scattering at HERMES. Then, predictions are made for the unknown polarized fragmentation function and the related single-spin asymmetry in the azimuthal distribution of $π^+ π^-$ pairs in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering on transversely polarized targets at HERMES and COMPASS. This asymmetry can be used to extract the quark …
We have carried out a calculation of the inclusive electron scattering cross section off oxygen in the kinematical region corresponding to beam energies between 700 and 1200 MeV, where quasielastic scattering and single pion production are the dominant reaction mechanisms. The formalism developed and successfully applied to describe quasielastic scattering has been extended to include both delta production and non-resonant pion production. The results are in fairly good agreement with experimental data over the whole range of energy transfer, including the dip region between the quasielastic p…
A method is discussed to determine the hitherto unknown u-quark transversity distribution from a planned HERMES measurement of a single-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive pion electroproduction off a transversely polarized target. Assuming u-quark dominance, the measurement yields the shapes of the transversity distribution and of the ratio of a polarized and the unpolarized u-quark fragmentation functions. The unknown relative normalization can be obtained by identifying the transversity distribution with the well-known helicity distribution at large x. The systematic uncertainty of the method …
In this study, we have considered the contribution of the higher-twist (HT) effects of the subprocesses to inclusive pion pair production cross section in the high energy proton-antiproton collisions by using various pion distribution amplitudes (DAs) within the frozen coupling constant approach and compared them with the leading-twist contributions. The feature of the HT effects may help the theoretical interpretation of the future PANDA experiment. The dependencies of the HT contribution on the transverse momentum $p_T$, the center of mass energy $\sqrt s$, and the variable $x_T$ are discuss…
Recent data from E925 Collaboration at Brookheaven National Laboratory show a significant energy dependence of the single-spin left-right asymmetry in inclusive hadron production in hadron-hadron collisions. We analyzed the experimental results and show that the observed energy dependence can be reproduced naturally in the picture proposed in a previous Letter. We fixed all the parameters at the Fermilab E704 energy and calculate the asymmetry at the BNL E925 energy. We compare the results with the data and make predictions for experiments at even higher energies.
The centrality dependencies of the inclusive neutral pion and prompt photon nuclear modification factors for p+Pb collisions at the LHC are studied using a spatially dependent set of nuclear PDFs, EPS09s. The calculations are performed at mid- and forward rapidities searching for an observable which would optimally probe the spatial dependence of the nuclear PDFs. In addition, we discuss to which $x$ values of the nucleus the different observables are sensitive.
We calculate the Sivers distribution functions induced by the final-state interaction due to one-gluon exchange in diquark models of nucleon structure, treating the cases of scalar and axial-vector diquarks with both dipole and Gaussian form factors. We use these distribution functions to calculate the Sivers single-spin asymmetries for inclusive pion and kaon production in deep-inelastic scattering. We compare our calculations with the results of HERMES and COMPASS, finding good agreement for pi+ production at HERMES, and qualitative agreement for pi0 and K+ production. Our predictions for pi…
It is shown how the single spin asymmetry observed in inclusive pion production is related, in the helicity basis, to the imaginary part of the product of two different distribution amplitudes, rather than to the usual quark and gluon distribution functions; there is then no reason why it should be zero even in massless perturbative QCD, provided the quark intrinsic motion is taken into account. A simple model is constructed which reproduces the main features of the data.
We discuss recent experimental results from RHIC where the flat transverse momentum dependence of a single-spin asymmetry has been found in inclusive production of neutral pions. This dependence takes place in a wide region of the transverse momenta up to $p_T=10$ GeV/c. We emphasize that similar dependence has been predicted in the nonperturbative spin filtering mechanism for the single-spin asymmetries in hadron interactions and present some implications for this mechanism from the new experimental data.
We propose new method which allows determination of the strange-sea quark spin distribution in the nucleon through measurement of various inclusive and semi-inclusive polarized deep inelastic electron- or muon-proton reactions. It is shown, that using combinations of inclusive data and semi-inclusive data containing neutral pions in the final state, it is possible to extract the strange-sea quark spin distribution. Similar result can be obtained for charged pions and some other hadrons also.
We analyze the left-right asymmetry in the semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) process without introducing any weighting functions. With the current theoretical understanding, we find that the Sivers effect plays a key role in our analysis. We use the latest parametrization of the Sivers and fragmentation functions to reanalyze the $π^\pm$ production process and find that the results are sensitive to the parametrization. We also extend our calculation on the $K^{\pm}$ production, which can help us know more about the Sivers distribution of the sea quarks and the unfavored fragment…
We calculate the contribution of the higher-twist Feynman diagrams to the large-$p_T$ inclusive gluon production cross-section in $πp$ collisions in case of the running coupling and frozen coupling approaches within perturbative and holographic QCD. The structure of infrared renormalon singularities of the higher-twist subprocess cross-section is obtained and the resummed higher-twist cross- sections (Borel sum) with the ones obtained in the framework of the frozen coupling approach and leading-twist cross-section are compared and analyzed.
We consider the cos(phi) dependence of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry for charged pion electroproduction in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering, emphasizing intrinsic transverse momentum effects. This azimuthal asymmetry allows to measure the cos(phi) moments of the unpolarized and double-spin cross-section, simultaneously. The size of the asymmetry, in the approximation where all twist-3 interaction-dependent distribution and fragmentation functions are set to zero, is estimated for HERMES kinematics; both the spin-independent and the double-spin cos(phi) moments are predicted to…
We study the Sivers effect in the transverse single spin asymmetries (SSA) for pion and kaon production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) processes. We perform a fit of A^sin(phi_h-phi_S)_UT which, by including recent high statistics experimental data for pion and kaon production from HERMES and COMPASS Collaborations, allows a new determination of the Sivers distribution functions for quarks and antiquarks with u, d and s flavours. Estimates for forthcoming SIDIS experiments at COMPASS and JLab are given.
We study the single-spin asymmetries with the $\sinϕ_S$ and $\sin(2ϕ_h -ϕ_S)$ angular dependences for charged and neutral pions produced in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering on the transversely polarized proton target. The theoretical interpretations of the two asymmetries are presented in terms of the convolution of the twist-3 quark transverse momentum dependent distributions and twist-2 fragmentation functions. Specifically, we investigate the role of the distributions $f_T$, $h_T$ and $h_T^\perp$ in the $\sinϕ_S$ asymmetry, as well as the role of the distributions $f_T^\perp$, $h_T$…
Single pion and prompt photon large transverse momentum spectra in p-p and Au-Au collisions are computed in perturbative QCD at RHIC energy, s^1/2 = 200 GeV. Next-to-leading order calculations are discussed and compared with p-p scattering data. Subsequently, quenching factors are computed to leading order for both pions and photons within the same energy loss model. The good agreement with PHENIX preliminary data allows for a lower estimate of the energy density reached in central Au-Au collisions, epsilon > 10 GeV/fm^3. Double inclusive photon-pion production in p-p and Au-Au collisions is t…
Analyzing powers in inclusive pion production in high energy transversely polarized proton-proton collisions are studied theoretically in the framework of the quark recombination model. Calculations by assuming the SU(6) spin-flavor symmetry for the nucleon structure disagree with the experiments. We solve this difficulty by taking into account the %We overcome this difficulty by taking into account the realistic spin distribution functions of the nucleon, which differs from the SU(6) expectation at large $x$, %but coincides with a perturbative QCD constraint on the ratio of the unpolarized va…
We present a new determination of unpolarised charged pion and kaon fragmentation functions from a set of single-inclusive electron-positron annihilation and lepton-nucleon semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering data. The determination includes next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections to both processes, and is carried out in a framework that combines a neural-network parametrisation of fragmentation functions with a Monte Carlo representation of their uncertainties. We discuss the quality of the determination, in particular its dependence on higher order corrections.
We consider the Sivers, Collins and transversity functions as extracted from SIDIS and e+e- experimental data and investigate to what extent they might explain the large Single Spin Asymmetries (SSA) observed in proton-proton inclusive processes. This phenomenological study is performed within the TMD factorization scheme. As the SIDIS data cover only a limited range of x values (x < 0.3), we allow for different large $x$ behaviours of the SIDIS Sivers functions and transversity distributions. We conclude that, within the available experimental constraints, one cannot observe any clear univers…
Any-order pion inclusive distribution for a chaotic source in high energy collisions are given which can be used in both theory and experiment to analyze any-order pion interferometry. Multi-pion correlations effects on two-pion and three-pion interferometry are discussed.
A set of new, precise data have recently been made available by the NA49 collaboration for charged pion production in proton-proton and proton-Carbon reactions at 158 GeV. The current paper compares this new data to five currently available arithmetic parameterizations. Although a precise fit is not expected, two of the parameterizations do not work very well but the other three are able to provide a moderately good, but not precise fit to the proton-proton data. The best two of these three parameterizations are scaled to the proton-Carbon data and again provide a moderately good, but not prec…
We propose a model for the antihyperon polarization in high-energy proton-nucleus inclusive reactions, based on the final-state interactions between the antihyperons and other produced particles (predominantly pions). To formulate this idea, we use the previously obtained low-energy pion-(anti-)hyperon interaction using effective chiral Lagrangians, and a hydrodynamic parametrization of the background matter, which expands and decouples at a certain freezeout temperature.
The inclusive transverse momentum (pt) distribution of hadrons inside jets produced in PbPb and pp collisions are simulated with the YaJEM and Pythia 6 Monte Carlo (MC) event generators. The effects of jet quenching are studied via the ratios of PbPb over pp hadron pt spectra, either by accounting for the induced virtuality Delta Q^2 transferred from the strongly-interacting medium to the parton shower or by modifying the soft sector of the parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions. The MC results are compared to experimental jet data measured by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of…
Inclusive cross sections for pion production in $pp$ collisions are calculated for the first time fully based on unintegrated gluon, quark and antiquark distributions (uPDF). We use recently developed Kwieciński uPDF's and different phenomenological fragmentation functions (FF) from the literature. In addition to the $gg \to g$ diagram we include also $g q \to q$ and $q g \to q$ diagrams for inclusive parton production. The cross section for pions is obtained then by convoluting the inclusive parton distributions and FFs. Applications for SPS and RHIC are shown.
In the paper energy dependence of space-time extent of emission region obtained from Bose - Einstein correlations is studied for charged pions in various ion collisions for all experimentally available energies. There is no dramatic change of HBT parameters with increasing of collision energy per nucleon-nucleon pair, $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$, in domain of energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}} \geq 5$ GeV. Energy dependence of estimations for emission duration is almost flat for all energy domain under study within large error bars. Analytic function is suggested for smooth approximation of energy dependence of main…
Accurate knowledge of cross sections for pion production in proton-proton collisions finds wide application in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmic ray physics and space radiation problems, especially in situations where an incident proton is transported through some medium, and one requires knowledge of the output particle spectrum given the input spectrum. In such cases accurate parametrizations of the cross sections are desired. In this paper we review much of the experimental data and compare to a wide variety of different cross section parametrizations. In so doing, we provide parametri…
A NLO QCD analysis of the HERMES and COMPASS data on pion multiplicities is presented. Sets of pion fragmentation functions are extracted from fits to the data and compared with those obtained from other groups before these data were available. The consistency between HERMES and COMPASS data is discussed. We point out a possible inconsistency between the HERMES [x, z] and [Q^2, z] presentations of their data.
We study the inclusive photoproduction of neutral and charged pions and $η$ at HERA, via the resolved photon mechanism, in QCD to next-to-leading order. We present various distributions of phenomenological interest and study the theoretical uncertainties due to the mass scales, and to photon and proton sets of structure functions. A new set of fragmentation functions for charged pions is also presented.