Neutral pion threshold production at Q(2) = 0.05 GeV(2)/c(2) and chiral perturbation theory.

New data are presented on the p(e,e'p)pi(0) reaction at threshold at a four-momentum transfer of Q(2) = 0.05 GeV(2)/c(2). The data were taken with the three-spectrometer setup of the A1 Collaboration at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. The complete center of mass solid angle was covered up to a center of mass energy of 4 MeV above threshold. Combined with measurements at three different values of the virtual photon polarization epsilon, the structure functions sigma(T), sigma(L), sigma(TT), and sigma(TL) are determined. The results are compared with calculations in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory and with a phenomenological model. The measured cross section is significantly smaller than both predictions.