Upper Bounds on Massive-Lepton-Pair Production,pN→l+l−X, in the Quark-Parton Model

We present rigorous bounds on the process $\mathrm{pN}\to l^{+}{l}^{-}X$ derived in the context of quark-parton models. As constraints we use the positivity of the parton probability functions and data on deep inelastic leptoproduction. Generally, our upper bounds fall below the Brookhaven National Laboratory data on muon-pair production. This result forces us to conclude that the Brookhaven data do not represent the scaling limit for this process, and/or that the usual ideas of the (colored) quark-parton model are not all correct.