Charge form factor of $\pi$ and $K$ mesons

Abstract

The charge form factor of $\pi$ and $K$ mesons is evaluated adopting a relativistic constituent quark model based on the light-front formalism. The relevance of the high-momentum components of the meson wave function, for values of the momentum transfer accessible to $CEBAF$ energies, is illustrated. The predictions for the elastic form factor of $\pi$ and $K$ mesons are compared with the results of different relativistic approaches, showing that the measurements of the pion and kaon form factors planned at $CEBAF$ could provide information for discriminating among various models of the meson structure.