Electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon in a relativistic quark pair creation model

We study the effects of the \ qqq q (q) over bar > component of the hadroni c wave function on the description of the electromagnetic structure of the nucleon. Starting with a 3q baryonic wave function which describes the bary onic and mesonic low-energy spectrum, the extra q (q) over bar pair is gene rated through a relativistic version of the P-3(0) model, It is shown that this model leads to a renormalization of the quark mass that allows one to construct a conserved electromagnetic current. We conclude that these dynam ical relativistic corrections play an important role in reproducing the Q(2 ) dependence of the electromagnetic form factors at low Q(2). (C) 2001 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.