Proton spin structure and intrinsic motion of the constituents

Abstract

The spin structure of the system of quasifree fermions having total angular momentum $J=1/2$ is studied in a consistently covariant approach. Within this model the relations between the spin functions are obtained. Their particular cases are the sum rules Wanzura - Wilczek, Efremov - Leader - Teryaev, Burkhardt - Cottingham and also the expression for the Wanzura - Wilczek twist 2 term $g_{2}^{WW}$. With the use of the proton valence quark distributions as an input, the corresponding spin functions are obtained. The resulting structure functions $g_{1}$ and $g_{2}$ are well compatible with the experimental data. Comparison with the basic formulas following from the standard quark-parton model reveals the importance of the quark intrinsic motion inside the target for the correct evaluation of the spin structure functions.