On the t-channel description of deep inelastic electroproduction

We draw attention to the fact that a description of deep inelastic electroproduction in terms of non-exotic t-channel exchanges puts stringent constraints on the data. It puts a bound on the ratio of neutron and proton structure functions |F _γN(ω)/F _γP(ω)∣ ⩾ {1}/{4}, respectively vanishing contributions from SU ₃ decuplet nucleon resonances in the direct channel. We find further implications on the Drell-Yan relation between the asymptotic behaviour of the nucleon electromagnetic form factor and the dependence of the nucleon structure function on the Björken scaling variable near threshold.