Photoproduction of a πρT pair with a large invariant mass and transversity generalized parton distribution

The chiral-odd transversity generalized parton distributions (GPDs) of the nucleon can be accessed experimentally through the exclusive photoproduction process gamma + N -> pi + rho + N', in the kinematics where the meson pair has a large invariant mass and the final nucleon has a small transverse momentum, provided the vector meson is produced in a transversally polarized state. We calculate perturbatively the scattering amplitude at leading order in alpha(s). We build a simple model for the dominant transversity GPD H-T(x, xi, t) based on the concept of double distribution. We estimate the unpolarized differential cross section for this process in the kinematics of the Jlab and Compass experiments. Counting rates show that the experiment looks feasible with the real photon beam characteristics expected at JLab@12 GeV, and with the quasi real photon beam in the Compass experiment. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.