Quark model calculations of nucleon structure functions

Abstract

We present calculations of those structure functions of the nucleon which are measured in deep inelastic electron scattering. A quark model which preserves translational invariance is used. The model exhibits scaling and the structure functions satisfy the Callan-Gross relation in the scaling region. It is possible to fit the experimental values of $F_2^p\mathrm{}\left(x\right)-F_2^n\mathrm{}\left(x\right)\mathrm{}$ using wave functions that correspond to a relatively small region of confinement. The ratio of $\frac{F_2^n\mathrm{}\left(x\right)\mathrm{}}{F_2^p\mathrm{}\left(x\right)\mathrm{}}$ is also calculated. One can explain the deviation of the value of the latter quantity from the value $\frac{2}{3}$ obtained in the simplest quark model by allowing the neutron confinement radius to be about 10 percent larger than the corresponding proton radius. We also discuss the role of this radius modification in explaining the deviation of the ratio of the proton and neutron magnetic moments from the value of $-\frac{3}{2}$ obtained in standard quark models.