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Whirlpools in the sea: Polarization of antiquarks in a spinning proton

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States)
We argue that the sea of virtual quark-antiquark pairs in a proton is polarized. Quantum chromodynamics allows a valence quark to emit a gluon which then produces pairs. If the parent quark in this process exhibits a (1-x)/sup 3/ behavior as x ..-->.. 1 then the antiquark with helicity the same as the original quark will have a leading (1-x)/sup 5/ distribution. Implications for the counting rules and for polarized Drell-Yan annihilation are discussed.
Research Organization:
Rutherford Laboratory Chilton Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, England, and Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
OSTI ID:
5430766
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 39:18; ISSN PRLTA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English