Abstract

Transverse single-spin asymmetries (SSA) in inclusive reactions are now considered to be directly related to the transverse momentum kT of the fundamental partons involved in the process. Several possible leading-twist QCD mechanisms have been proposed to explain the available data, in particular the Sivers effect which was resurrected recently. We show that from the measurement of transverse SSA in inclusive production of gauge bosons, one can learn more about the Sivers functions and possibly to achieve a reliable flavor separation. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.