Hard exclusive processes with photons

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent theoretical advances and experimental results in the study of hard exclusive processes involving photons, highlighting their role in probing hadronic structure with high luminosity lepton beams.

Contribution

It provides an overview of recent progress in understanding hard exclusive reactions with photons, emphasizing new theoretical insights and initial experimental data.

Findings

Significant theoretical progress in the domain of photon-induced exclusive processes.

Encouraging experimental data supporting the theoretical developments.

Enhanced understanding of hadronic structure through high luminosity lepton beam experiments.

Abstract

Virtual photons have proven to be very efficient probes of the hadronic structure, mostly through deep inelastic scattering and related processes. The advent of high luminosity lepton beams has allowed to enlarge the studied processes to hard exclusive reactions, such as deeply virtual Compton scattering and the electroproduction of mesons. We discuss theoretical progress which has lately been quite remarkable in this domain and first much encouraging experimental data.