Charge Symmetry Breaking in the Nucleon and Parity Violating Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

Abstract: The basic facts of charge symmetry breaking (CSB) phenomena are reviewed. The relevance of CSB to parity-violating electron-proton scattering experiments that seek to extract strange elastic form factors is discussed. Experimentalists have stated and written that the current uncertainty in our knowledge of CSB limits the ability to push further on the strange form factors. I discuss recent calculations using relativistic chiral perturbation theory and realistic values of strong coupling constants which show that the uncertainties due to lack of knowledge of CSB are at least ten times smaller than present experimental uncertainties. Estimates of CSB effects are made for the JLab Qweak and Mainz P2 experiments.