Measuring Chirally Odd Wave Functions with Helicity Flip Form Factors

Abstract

We consider the role of chirally odd wave functions in hard exclusive reactions. Such wave functions have the quarks oriented in the opposite helicity configuration from those assumed in the short-distance limit and are generally associated with non-zero orbital angular momentum. Calculations in the impulse approximation allow for non-zero helicity flip amplitudes while the conventional factorization prescription for exclusive processes does not. By introducing a new approach, we show how helicity flip form factors are nevertheless calculable in QCD.