Single-Spin Observables and Orbital Structures in Hadronic Distributions

Within the light-quark sector of the standard model, P-odd observables are generated from point-like electroweak processes while A_t- odd observables (neglecting quark mass parameters) come from dynamic spin-orbit correlations within hadrons or within larger composite systems, such as nuclei. The effects of A_t-odd dynamics can be inserted into transverse-momentum dependent constituent distribution functions and, in this paper, we construct the contribution from an orbital quark to the A_t odd quark parton distribution. Using this distribution, we examine the crucial role of initial- and final-state interactions in the observation of the scattering asymmetries in different hard-scattering processes. This construction provides a geometrical and dynamical interpretation of the Collins conjugation relation between single-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering and the asymmetries in Drell-Yan production. Finally, our construction allows us to display a significant difference between the calculation of a spin asymmetry generated by a hard scattering mechanism involving color-singlet exchange (such as a photon) and a calculation of an asymmetry with a hard-scattering exchange involving gluons. This leads to an appreciation of the process dependence inherent in measurements of single-spin observables.