Parton Skewed Distributions in the Pion and Quark-Hadron Duality

Applying arguments based on the operator product expansion for a three-point correlator and relying on quark-hadron duality, we derive an expression for the skewed (non-forward) parton distribution in the pion in the case of a zero-skewedness parameter, {\cal F}^{\psi|\pi}_{\zeta=0}(X;t). We expect that our result is relevant for moderately large momentum transfers 1 < t < 10 GeV^2. In addition, we construct a purely phenomenological factorized model for the same quantity in close analogy to Radyushkin's model, originally proposed for skewed distributions of quarks in the nucleon. Though the quark-hadron duality approach supports theoretically the factorized model, the two models exhibit a different behavior in the parton momentum fraction X at any fixed t. The relevant process to distinguish between the two options seems to be the WACS off the pion that measures (to leading t/s-order) the inverse moment <X^{-1}> of the skewed distribution. Even after the inclusion of the first order kinematic t/s-corrections, the predictions for the cross section \frac{d \sigma}{d t}(s,t) at c.m.s. scattering angles \vartheta=30^{\circ} and 90^{\circ} differ by factors 3.5--3.9 and 2.9--7.5, respectively, so that a discrimination appears possible.