Transverse single spin asymmetries in inclusive deep-inelastic scattering

Abstract

In inclusive deep-inelastic lepton-hadron scattering multi-photon exchange between the leptonic and the hadronic part of the process causes single spin asymmetries. The asymmetries exist for a polarized target as well as a polarized incoming or outgoing lepton, if the polarization vector has a component transverse with respect to the reaction plane. The spin dependent parts of the single polarized cross sections are suppressed like $\alpha_{em} m_{pol}/Q$ - where $m_{pol}$ denotes the mass of the polarized particle - compared to the leading terms of the cross section for unpolarized or double-polarized deep-inelastic scattering. Both the target and the beam spin asymmetry are evaluated in the parton model. In the calculation only quark-quark correlators are included. While this approximation turns out to be justified for the lepton spin asymmetries, it is not sufficient for the target asymmetry.