Generalized parton distributions and color transparency phenomena

We study the structure of generalized parton distributions in impact parameter space with the aim of determining the size and the role of small transverse separation components in the quark wave function. We analyze the relation between transverse momentum components and transverse separations. Wave functions with large transverse momentum components can simultaneously reproduce the behavior of the Dirac form factor at large momentum transfer and of the deep inelastic structure functions at Bjorken x→1. The presence of large momentum components does not ensure, however, the dominance of small transverse distances at large x. We suggest that experiments measuring the attenuation of hadrons in the nuclear medium, or the onset of color transparency, can provide an alternative source of information on generalized parton distributions by mapping out the behavior of the transverse components of the wave function.