The matrix element of the transverse component of the bilocal vector current and its parton interpretation

Abstract

In this paper we study the matrix element of the transverse component of the bilocal vector current in the context of deep inelastic scattering. The BJL limit of high energy amplitudes together with light-front current algebra imply the same parton interpretation for its matrix element as that of the plus component. On the other hand, the transverse component depends explicitly on the gluon field operator in QCD, appears as “twist three” and hence its matrix element has no manifest parton interpretation. In this paper we perform calculations in light-front time-ordering perturbative QCD for a dressed quark target to order α s and demonstrate that the matrix element of the transverse component of the bilocal vector current has the same parton interpretation as that of the plus component.