skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Parton Distribution Functions and Lattice QCD
Recently, there have been rapid developments in lattice-QCD calculations of proton structure, especially in the parton distribution functions (PDFs). We overcame a longstanding obstacle and for the first time in lattice-QCD are able to directly calculate the Bjorken- x dependence of the quark, helicity and transversity distributions. The PDFs are obtained using the large-momentum effective field theory (LaMET) framework where the full Bjorken- x dependence of finite-momentum PDFs, called “quasi-PDFs”, can be calculated on the lattice. The quasi-PDF nucleon matrix elements are renormalized non-perturbatively in RI/MOM-scheme. Following a nonperturbative renormalization of the parton quasi-distribution in a regularization-independent momentum-subtraction scheme, we establish its matching to the $$ \overline {{\rm{MS}}} $$ PDF and calculate the non-singlet matching coefficient at next-to-leading order in perturbation theory. In this proceeding, I will show the progress that has been made in recent years, highlighting the latest state-of-the art PDF calculations at the physical pion mass. Future impacts on the large- x global PDF fits are also discussed.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1653405
PAR ID:
10097103
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
EPJ Web of Conferences
Volume:
206
ISSN:
2100-014X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
01003
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. There have been rapid developments in parton distribution functions (PDFs) using lattice QCD for both precision moments and direct calculation of the Bjorken-$$x$$ dependence. In this talk, I show some progress along these directions and show some examples of how lattice-QCD calculations can play a significant role in improving our understanding of PDFs in the future. 
    more » « less
  2. We present a state-of-the-art calculation of the isovector quark helicity Bjorken-$$x$$ distribution in the proton using lattice-QCD ensembles at the physical pion mass. We compute quasi-distributions at proton momenta $$P_z \in \{2.2, 2.6, 3.0\}$$~GeV on the lattice, and match them systematically to the physical parton distribution using large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). We reach an unprecedented precision through high statistics in simulations, large-momentum proton matrix elements, and control of excited-state contamination. The resulting distribution is in agreement within $$2\sigma$$ with the latest phenomenological analysis of the spin-dependent experimental data; in particular, $$\Delta \bar{u}(x)>\Delta \bar{d}(x)$$. 
    more » « less
  3. The workshop on Parton Distributions and Lattice Calculations in the LHC era (PDFLattice2017) was hosted at Balliol College, Oxford (UK), from 22nd to 24th March 2017. The workshop brought together the lattice-QCD and the global-fit physicists who devote their efforts to determine the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton. The goals were to make the two communities more familiar between each other, review developments from both sides, and set precision targets for lattice calculations so that they can contribute, together with the forthcoming experimental input, to the next generation of PDF determinations. This contribution summarises the relevant outcome of the workshop, in anticipation of a thorough white paper. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract We present progress towards the first unpolarized gluon quasi-parton distribution function (PDF) from lattice quantum chromodynamics using high-statistics measurements for hadrons at two valence pion massesMπ ≈ 310 and 690 MeV computed on ana ≈ 0.12 fm ensemble with 2 + 1 + 1-flavors of highly improved staggered quark generated by the MILC collaboration. In this study, we consider two gluon operators for which the hybrid-ratio renormalization matching kernels have been recently derived and a third operator that has been used in prior pseudo-PDF studies of the gluon PDFs. We compare the matrix elements for each operator for both the nucleon and pion, at both pion masses, and using two gauge-smearing techniques. Focusing on the more phenomenologically studied nucleon gluon PDF, we compare the ratio and hybrid-ratio renormalized matrix elements at both pion masses and both smearings to those reconstructed from the nucleon gluon PDF from the CT18 global analysis. We identify the best choice of operator to study the gluon PDF and present the first gluon quasi-PDF under some caveats. Additionally, we explore the recent idea of Coulomb gauge fixing to improve signal at large Wilson-line displacement and find it could be a major help in improving the signal in the gluon matrix elements. This work helps identify the best operator for studying the gluon quasi-PDF, shows higher hadron boost momentum is needed to implement hybrid-ratio renormalization reliably, and suggests the need to study more diverse set of operators with their corresponding perturbative calculations for hybrid-ratio renormalization to further gluon quasi-PDF study. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    We present the first determination of the x-dependent pion gluon distribution from lattice QCD using the pseudo-PDF approach. We use lattice ensembles with 2+1+1 flavors of highly improved staggered quarks (HISQ), generated by MILC Collaboration, at two lattice spacings a≈0.12 and 0.15~fm and three pion masses Mπ≈220, 310 and 690 MeV. We use clover fermions for the valence action and momentum smearing to achieve pion boost momentum up to 2.29 GeV. We find that the dependence of the pion gluon parton distribution on lattice spacing and pion mass is mild. We compare our results from the lightest pion mass ensemble with the determination by JAM and xFitter global fits. 
    more » « less