Electromagnetic $N - \Delta$ transition form factors in a light-front constituent quark model

Abstract

A parameter-free evaluation of the $N - \Delta$ electromagnetic transition form factors is carried out in a light-front constituent quark model, based on $N$ and $\Delta$ eigenstates of a mass operator which reproduces a large set of hadron energy levels. A one-body electromagnetic current, including the constituent quark form factors previously determined within the same approach from nucleon and pion experimental data, is used. Our prediction for the magnetic transition form factor is compared with the results both of phenomenological analyses of experimental data for the $\Delta$ electroproduction, and of an analysis which includes the effects of off-energy-shell $\pi - N$ final state interaction.