The hard scale in the exclusive rho-meson production in diffractive DIS

We re-examine the issue of the pQCD factorization scale in the exclusive rho production in diffractive DIS from the k_t-factorization point of view. We find that this scale differs significantly from, and possesses much flatter Q^2 behavior than widely used value (Q^2 + m_\rho^2)/4. With these results in mind, we discuss the Q^2 shape of the rho meson production cross section. We introduce rescaled cross sections, which might provide further insight into the dynamics of rho production. We also comment on the recent ZEUS observation of energy-independent ratio sigma(gamma* p --> rho p) / sigma_{tot}(gamma*p).