Studies of Nucleon Spin Structure at HERMES

The HERMES experiment studies the spin structure of the nucleon using polarized semi-inclusive deep-inelastic positron scattering and polarized quasi-real photoproduction. Previous analyses of nucleon spin structure combine inclusive deep-inelastic scattering data and measured hyperon decay constants assuming SU(3)_(flavor) symmetry; asymmetries in the processes studied at HERMES may constrain nucleon spin structure more directly. Results are discussed for quark polarizations extracted from semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering asymmetries, for gluon polarization extracted from the asymmetry of high-p_T hadron pairs, and for the first observation of single-spin azimuthal asymmetries in pion production.