Exclusive Processes Induced By Antiprotons: Opportunities for QCD Studies

Abstract

The detection of exclusive processes induced by antiproton beams in the GeV range at PANDA(FAIR) opens possibilities for testing QCD predictions on the nucleon structure. In particular, the measurement of electromagnetic nucleon form factors through the proton-antiproton annihilation in a lepton pair can be studied. However, other processes, although interesting by themselves, play the role of background. We will focus on two examples: an 'electromagnetic process', the S-channel annihilation of proton and antiproton into a neutral pion and a virtual photon (followed by lepton pair emission) and a possible mechanism for the production of kaon and pion pairs, through physical vacuum excitations.