Exposing strangeness: Projections for kaon electromagnetic form factors

A continuum approach to the kaon and pion bound-state problems is used to reveal their electromagnetic structure. For both systems, when used with parton distribution amplitudes appropriate to the scale of the experiment, Standard Model hard-scattering formulas are accurate to within 25% at momentum transfers Q2≈8 GeV2. There are measurable differences between the distribution of strange and normal matter within the kaons, e.g. the ratio of their separate contributions reaches a peak value of 1.5 at Q2≈6 GeV2. Its subsequent Q2 evolution is accurately described by the hard scattering formulas. Projections for the ratio of kaon and pion form factors at timelike momenta beyond the resonance region are also presented. These results and projections should prove useful in planning next-generation experiments.