Polarized Lambda 's in the current fragmentation region.

Abstract

Data on the nucleon spin structure suggests that the $u$- (and $d$-) quark distributions in the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ hyperon may be polarized. If this correlation carries over into fragmentation, then the study of polarized $\ensuremath{\Lambda}'\mathrm{s}$ in the current fragmentation region of deep inelastic lepton scattering will be a sensitive probe of the nucleon spin structure. $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ production by polarized electrons from unpolarized targets can search for this correlation. If it is significant, $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ production by unpolarized electrons from longitudinally and transversely polarized targets can probe the $u$-quark helicity and transversity distributions in the nucleon.