Drell-Yan proton-deuteron asymmetry and polarized light-antiquark distributions

Abstract

We discuss the Drell-Yan proton-deuteron (p-d) asymmetry R_{pd}, which is defined by the proton-proton and proton-deuteron cross-section ratio Δ_{(T)}σ^{pd}/2Δ_{(T)}σ^{pp}, and its relation to the polarized light-antiquark flavor asymmetry. Using a formalism of the polarized {\it pd} Drell-Yan process, we show that the R_{pd} especially in the large-x_F region is very useful for finding the flavor asymmetry in the longitudinally-polarized and transversity distributions. Our results are particularly important to study the flavor asymmetry in the transversity distributions because they cannot be measured by inclusive deep inelastic scattering and W-production process.