Exclusive production of vector mesons $rho, rho$ and $rho$ by real and virtual photons

We present a non-perturbative QCD calculation of high-energy diffractive photo- and leptoproduction of vector mesons $rho$, $rho$ and $rho$ on a nucleon. The initial photon splits up in a $qbar{q}$-dipole and transforms into a vector meson by scattering on the quark-diquark nucleon. The dipole-dipole scattering amplitude is provided by the non-perturbative model of the stochastic QCD vacuum, the wave functions result from considerations on the light-cone. We assume the physical $rho$- and $rho$-states to be mixed states of an active 2S-excitation and a rest whose coupling to the photon is suppressed. We obtain good agreement with the experimental data and get an understanding of the markedly different spectrum in the $pi^+pi^-$-invariant mass for photoproduction and $e^+e^-$-annihilation.