Studies of Parton Propagation and Hadron Formation in the Space-Time Domain

Abstract

Over the past decade, new data from HERMES, Jefferson Lab, Fermilab, and RHIC that connect to parton propagation and hadron formation have become available. Semi-inclusive DIS on nuclei, the Drell-Yan reaction, and heavy-ion collisions all bring different kinds of information on parton propagation within a medium, while the most direct information on hadron formation comes from the DIS data. Over the next decade one can hope to begin to understand these data within a unified picture. We briefly survey the most relevant data and the common elements of the physics picture, then highlight the new Jefferson Lab data, and close with a prospective for the future.