Index
We analyze the polarized Drell-Yan processes with spin-1/2 and spin-1 hadrons in a parton model. Quark and antiquark correlation functions are expressed in terms of possible combinations of Lorentz vectors and pseudovectors with the constrains of Hermiticity, parity conservation, and time-reversal invariance. Then, we find tensor polarized distributions for a spin-1 hadron. The naive parton model predicts that there exist 19 structure functions. However, there are only four or five finite structure functions and the others vanish after integrating the cross section over the virtual-photon transverse momentum \vec Q_T or after taking the limit Q_T->0. One of the finite structure functions is related to the tensor structure function b_1, and it does not exist in the proton-proton reactions. The vanishing structure functions should be associated with higher-twist physics. The tensor distributions can be measured by the quadrupole polarization measurements. The Drell-Yan process has an advantage over the lepton reaction in the sense that the antiquark tensor polarization could be extracted rather easily.
We show in general that there are 108 structure functions in the proton-deuteron Drell-Yan processes. However, there exist only 22 finite ones after integrating the cross section over the virtual-photon transverse momentum \vec Q_T or after taking the limit Q_T->0. There are 11 new structure functions in comparison with the ones of the proton-proton reactions, and they are related to the tensor structure of the deuteron. Parton-model analyses indicate an important tensor structure function V_T^{UQ_0}, which can be measured by a quadrupole spin asymmetry. The Drell-Yan process has an advantage over lepton reactions in finding tensor polarized antiquark distributions. We hope that our studies will be realized in the next-generation RHIC-Spin project and other ones.
We discuss transversity distributions and Drell-Yan transverse double spin asymmetries. First, the antiquark flavor asymmetry $\Delta_{_T} \bar u/\Delta_{_T} \bar d$ is discussed by using two different descriptions, a meson-cloud model and a Pauli exclusion model. We find that both calculations produce a significant $\Delta_{_T} \bar d$ excess over $\Delta_{_T} \bar u$. Next, we study its effects on the transverse spin asymmetry $A_{_{TT}}$ and on the Drell-Yan proton-deuteron asymmetry $\Delta_{_T}\sigma^{pd}/2 \Delta_{_T}\sigma^{pp}$. We find that the ratio $\Delta_{_T}\sigma^{pd}/2 \Delta_{_T}\sigma^{pp}$ is very useful for investigating the flavor asymmetry effect.
Polarized proton-deuteron (pd) Drell-Yan processes are investigated for studying new spin structure of a spin-1 hadron. Our formalism indicates that there exist many structure functions: 108 in general and 22 in the \vec Q_T-integrated case. A naive parton model suggests that at least one of them should be related to the tensor polarized distributions, which have not been measured at all. There are some experimental possibilities at FNAL, HERA, and RHIC to study the polarized pd reactions.
We discuss the relation between the ratio of the proton-deuteron (pd) Drell-Yan cross section to the proton-proton (pp) one \Delta_{(T)} \sigma_{pd}/2 \Delta_{(T)} \sigma_{pp} and the flavor asymmetry in polarized light-antiquark distributions. Using a recent formalism of the polarized pd Drell-Yan process, we show that the difference between the pp and pd cross sections is valuable for finding not only the flavor asymmetry in longitudinally polarized antiquark distributions but also the one in transversity distributions. It is especially important that we point out the possibility of measuring the flavor asymmetry in the transversity distributions because it cannot be found in W production processes and inclusive lepton scattering due to the chiral-odd property.