Don't Forget to Measure $\Delta s$

Abstract

This talk explores our lack of knowledge of the strange quark contribution to the nucleon spin, $\Delta s$. Data on $\Delta s$ from inclusive and semi-inclusive polarized deep-inelastic scattering will be reviewed, followed by a discussion of how the ongoing program of parity-violating elastic electron-nucleon scattering experiments, that seek out the strange electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon, need to have an estimate for the strange axial form factor to carry out that program, and how the value of $\Delta s$ extracted from the DIS experiments has filled that role. It is shown that elastic $\nu p$, $\bar{\nu} p$, and parity-violating $\vec{e}p$ data can be combined to extract the strange electric, magnetic $and$ axial form factors simultaneously. A proposed experiment that could address this important issue if briefly previewed.