Generalized Parton Distributions : Experimental aspects

Abstract

After briefly outlining the formalism of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) in the first sections, we discuss some general considerations for their experimental study : in particular, the relation between GPDs and experimental observables and the need and requirements for a dedicated experimental facility. Also, we review and comment the first experimental signatures of this physics recently observed by the HERMES and CLAS (at JLab) collaborations.

Comments: 10 pages, Invited talk at ICTP 3rd International Conference on Perspectives in Hadronic Physics, Trieste, Italy, 7-11 May 2001. Submitted to Nucl.Phys.A