A factorized Regge-pole model for deeply virtual Compton scattering is suggested. The use of an effective logarithmic Regge-Pomeron trajectory provides for the description of both ``soft (small $|t|$) and ``hard (large $|t|$) dynamics. The model contains explicitly the photoproduction and the DIS limits and fits the existing HERA data on deeply virtual Compton scattering.
Diffractive deeply virtual Compton scattering (DiDVCS) is the process $gamma^*(- Q^2) + N rightarrow rho^0 + gamma^* (Q^2)+ N$, where N is a nucleon or light nucleus, in the kinematical regime of large rapidity gap between the $rho^0$ and the final photon-nucleus system, and in the generalized Bjorken regime where both photon virtualities $Q^2$ and $ Q^2$ are large. We show that this process has the unique virtue of combining the large diffractive cross sections at high energy with the tomographic ability of deeply virtual Compton scattering to scrutinize the quark and gluon content of nucleons and light nuclei. Its study at an electron-ion collider would enlighten the internal structure of hadrons.
An overview is given about the capabilities provided by the JLab 12 GeV Upgrade to measure deeply virtual exclusive processes with high statistics and covering a large kinematics range in the parameters that are needed to allow reconstruction of a spatial image of the nucleons quark structure. The measurements planned with CLAS12 will cross section asymmetries with polarized beams and with longitudinally and transversely polarized proton targets in the constrained kinematics $x = pm xi$. In addition, unpolarized DVCS cross sections, and doubly polarized beam target asymmetries will be measured as well. In this talk only the beam and target asymmetries will be discussed.
At moderately low momentum transfer (-t up to 1 GeV^2) the coupling to the vector meson production channels gives the dominant contribution to real Compton and deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS). Starting from a Regge Pole approach that successfully describes vector meson production, the singular part of the corresponding box diagrams (where the intermediate vector meson-baryon pair propagates on-shell) is evaluated without any further assumptions (unitarity). Such a treatment explains not only the unexpectedly large DVCS unpolarized cross section that has been recently measured at Jefferson Laboratory (JLab), but also all the beam spin and charge asymmetries that has been measured at JLab and Hermes, without explicit need of Generalized Parton Distributions (GPD). The issue of the relationship between the two approaches is addressed.
The three-dimensional structure of nucleons (protons and neutrons) is embedded in so-called generalized parton distributions, which are accessible from deeply virtual Compton scattering. In this process, a high energy electron is scattered off a nucleon by exchanging a virtual photon. Then, a highly-energetic real photon is emitted from one of the quarks inside the nucleon, which carries information on the quarks transverse position and longitudinal momentum. By measuring the cross-section of deeply virtual Compton scattering, Compton form factors related to the generalized parton distributions can be extracted. Here, we report the observation of unpolarized deeply virtual Compton scattering off a deuterium target. From the measured photon-electroproduction cross-sections, we have extracted the cross-section of a quasi-free neutron and a coherent deuteron. Due to the approximate isospin symmetry of quantum chromodynamics, we can determine the contributions from the different quark flavours to the helicity-conserved Compton form factors by combining our measurements with previous ones probing the protons internal structure. These results advance our understanding of the description of the nucleon structure, which is important to solve the proton spin puzzle.
Recently we have shown that exclusive QCD photon-induced reactions at low Mandelstam-t are best described by Regge exchanges in the entire scaling region, and not only for low values of Bjorken-x. In this paper we explore this crucial Regge behavior in Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering from the point of view of collinear factorization, with the proton tensor written in terms of Generalized Parton Distributions, and we reproduce this feature. Thus it appears that in the Bjorken limit, a large class of hard, low-t exclusive processes are more sensitive to the meson cloud of the proton than to its fundamental quark structure. These process will then be described most efficiently by process-dependent Regge Exclusive Amplitudes rather than by universal Generalized Parton Distributions. We introduce such Regge Exclusive Amplitudes for Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering.