Pion electromagnetic form factor in the covariant spectator theory

Abstract

The pion electromagnetic form factor at spacelike momentum transfer is calculated in relativistic impulse approximation using the covariant spectator theory. The same dressed quark mass function and the equation for the pion bound-state vertex function as discussed in the companion paper are used for the calculation, together with a dressed quark current that satisfies the Ward-Takahashi identity. The results obtained for the pion form factor are in agreement with experimental data, they exhibit the typical monopole behavior at high-momentum transfer, and they satisfy some remarkable scaling relations.