Electromagnetic Structure of Mesons in a Light-Front Constituent Quark Model

Abstract

The elastic and transition electromagnetic form factors of mesons are investigated within a light-front constituent quark model. The general formulae for the space-like matrix elements of the one-body component of the electromagnetic current, including both Dirac and Pauli form factors of the constituent quarks, are presented. Our results for the pion charge form factor and the $\pi \rho$ transition form factor are reported and compared with those obtained within various relativistic approaches in a range of values of the four-momentum transfer accessible to $CEBAF$.