Single Spin Asymmetry in Inclusive Pion Production, Collins Effect and the String Model (revised version)

We calculated the single spin asymmetry in the inclusive pion production in the fragmentation region of transversely polarized proton-proton collisions. We generated the asymmetry at the level of fragmentation function (Collins effect) by the Lund coloured string mechanism. We compared our results to the presently available experimental data. We obtained a qualitative agreement with the data after assuming that the transverse polarizations of the $u$ and the $d$ quarks in the proton are +1 and -1, respectively, at x_B = 1.