Polarization Phenomena for Vector-Meson Production Induced by Neutron-Proton Collisions in Collinear Kinematics

Abstract.

 Polarization phenomena for vector meson production in neutron-proton collisions, , with , are studied for collinear kinematics when the vector mesons are produced at angles or 180° with respect to the momentum of the incoming beam. It is shown that the spin structure of the matrix elements can be parametrized in terms of five independent complex scalar amplitudes whose symmetry properties follow from the isotopic invariance of the strong interaction and from which specific polarization properties can be deduced. The polarization structure functions, calculated in terms of these five independent scalar amplitudes, allow to analyze one and two spin polarization observables in a model independent way.