EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTION OF SOFT PIONS IN DIS

We consider pion electroproduction close to threshold for Q(2) in the region 1-10 GeV(2) on a nucleon target. The momentum transfer dependence of the S-wave multipoles at threshold, E(0+) and L(0+), is calculated in the chiral limit using light-cone sum rules. Predictions for the cross sections in the threshold region, both for pi(0)p and pi(+)n channels, are given that include P-wave contributions that, as we argue, are model independent to a large extent. The results are compared with the SLAC E136 data on the structure function F(2)(W,Q(2)) in the threshold region.