Reassessment of the Collins Mechanism for Single-spin Asymmetries and the behavior of Delta d(x) at large x

Abstract

It is shown that the Collins mechanism explanation of the transverse single-spin asymmetries in p^{\uparrow} p -> \pi X leads to a transversely polarized d quark density Delta_T d(x) which violates the Soffer bound when one uses several standard forms for the longitudinally polarized d quark density Delta d(x) obtained from polarized deep inelastic scattering. Imposition of the Soffer bound with these Delta d(x) yields results in hopeless disagreement with the data. Remarkably, imposition of the Soffer bound, but using parametrizations of Delta d(x) that respect the PQCD condition Delta q(x) / q(x) -> 1 as x -> 1, leads to an excellent fit to most of the data. The implications for the polarized DIS neutron longitudinal asymmetry A_1^n at large x are dramatic.