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arXiv · 0912.5194

The Boer-Mulders effect in unpolarized SIDIS: an analysis of the COMPASS and HERMES data on the $\cos 2 ϕ$ asymmetry

Abstract

We present a phenomenological analysis of the $\cos 2 ϕ$ 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 $h_1^{\perp}(x, k_T^2)$, and the twist-4 Cahn contribution, involving unpolarized transverse-momentum distribution functions. We show that a reasonably good fit of the data 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.

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BibTeXRIS

Vincenzo Barone, Stefano Melis, Alexei Prokudin. 2010-08-18. The Boer-Mulders effect in unpolarized SIDIS: an analysis of the COMPASS and HERMES data on the $\cos 2 ϕ$ asymmetry. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.81.114026

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