Global analysis of exclusive kaon and pion electroproduction

The p(e, e'pi(+))n and p(e, e', K+)Lambda (Sigma(0)) reactions are important tools in the study of hadron structure. In particular, the flavor degree of freedom introduced with the addition of the strange quark helps us understand the reaction mechanism underlying strangeness production, and the transition from hadronic to partonic degrees of freedom in exclusive processes. In this study, we examine the world's data on exclusive p(e, e'pi p(+))n and p(e, e'K+)Lambda cross sections. The data were combined into a superset with one global uncertainty, and examined for -t dependence of the longitudinal and transverse components of the cross section as function of Q(2) and the longitudinal momentum fraction, x(B). The data suggest that the importance of t-channel meson exchange decreases at higher values of x(B). The Q(2) dependence of the longitudinal to transverse cross section ratio was compared with the Q(2)-scaling expectation for hard exclusive processes.