Data on the nucleon spin structure suggests that the $u$ (and $d$) quark distributions in the $\Lambda$ hyperon may be polarized. If this correlation carries over into fragmentation, then the study of polarized $\Lambda$'s in the current fragmentation region of deep inelastic lepton scattering will be a sensitive probe of nucleon spin structure. $\Lambda$ production by polarized electrons from unpolarized targets can search for this correlation. If it is signficant, $\Lambda$ production by unpolarized electrons from longitudinally and transversely polarized targets can probe the $u$-quark helicity and transversity distributions in the nucleon. We review what is known about quark polarization in the $\Lambda$, summarize electroproduction of polarized $\Lambda$s, and estimate the sensitivity to quark polarizations in the nucleon. We also describe polarization phenomena associated with vector meson electroproduction that can be observed in the same experimental regime.
Categories: hep-ph