POLARIZED STRANGE QUARKS IN THE PROTON AND THE VALIDITY OF QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS

Recent claims that the European Muon Collaboration (EMC) data on polarized proton structure functions violate quantum chromodynamics are shown to be unfounded and driven by the use of an incorrect or outdated balue of the F/D ratio for hyperon decays. Conclusions from the EMC experiment as to the amount of strange-sea polarization are rather sensitive to this value. Contrary to some statements in the literature, elastic-neutrino-scattering data are consistent with vanishing strange polarization. © 1990 The American Physical Society.