Investigation of $\Delta(1232)$ resonance substructure in $p\gamma^*\to \Delta(1232)$ process through helicity amplitudes

Abstract

This work investigates the substructure of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance in the $p\gamma^*\to \Delta(1232)$ process through helicity transition amplitudes within the quark model framework. We consider the involved baryons composed of three quarks, and both the quark core and meson cloud contribute to the transition amplitudes. The comparison of theoretical results with experimental data reveals that, rather than the $L=0$ component of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance, it is the $L=2$ component that significantly affects its $S_{1/2}$ amplitude. These findings indicate that the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance likely contains a substantial $L=2$ component, challenging the conventional view of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance as an $L=0$ baryon.