We present the first global analysis of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) combing lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations and experiment measurements including global parton distribution functions (PDFs), form factors (FFs) and deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) measurements. Following the previous work where we parameterize GPDs in terms of their moments, we extend the framework to allow for the global analysis at non-zero skewness. Together with the constraints at zero skewness, we fit GPDs to global DVCS measurements from both the recent JLab and the earlier Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA) experiments with two active quark flavors and leading order QCD evolution. With certain choices of empirical constraints, both sea and valence quark distributions are extracted with the combined inputs, and we present the quark distributions in the proton correspondingly. We also discuss how to extend the framework to accommodate more off-forward constraints beyond the small ξ expansion, especially the lattice calculated GPDs.

United States

Yuxun Guo

Xiangdong Ji

M. Santiago

Canada

Kyle Shiells

Jinghong Yang

Generalized parton distributions through universal moment parameterization: non-zero skewness case

We present a global analysis program for the generalized parton distributions (GPDs) based on conformal moment expansion. We apply the strategy of universal moment parameterization to fit both the collinear parton distribution functions (PDFs) from phenomenology and generalized form factors from lattice calculations, and show that the parameterization is flexible enough to accommodate these constraints. In addition, we can also fit direct lattice calculations of GPDs from large-momentum effective theory. In this work we focus on the analysis of t-dependent PDFs which correspond to GPDs in the ξ → 0 limit. The strategy also applies to the ξ ≠ 0 region with extra parameters, and therefore can be fitted to experimental observables in the future. With a demonstrative example of fitted GPDs, we exhibit the quark transverse angular momentum densities of the proton as well as the impact parameter space distributions of quarks in both unpolarized and transversely polarized protons.

Generalized parton distributions through universal moment parameterization: zero skewness case

We investigate the exercise of locally extracting the real and imaginary parts of the four twist-2 Compton form factors (CFFs)   <math> <mfenced> <mi>H</mi> <mi>E</mi> <mover> <mi>H</mi> <mo>~</mo> </mover> <mover> <mi>E</mi> <mo>~</mo> </mover> </mfenced> </math>  $$ \left\{\mathcal{H},\mathcal{E},\overset{\sim }{\mathcal{H}},\overset{\sim }{\mathcal{E}}\right\} $$  which arise in the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) process e + p → e + p + γ. Neglecting dynamical higher-twist contributions, we find that there are a sufficient number of DVCS observables and degrees of freedom to extract all 8 leading quantities model-independently, exploiting the azimuthal dependence of the absolute cross sections across all possible beam and target polarizations at a common kinematical point in {Q, t, x  B  , y}. As an example, for typical JLab lab-frame kinematics, we simplify the reduced DVCS observables to their dominant terms, providing a sufficient number of equations for local determination of the twist-2 CFFs. We demonstrate the feasibility using harmonic fitting to both cross sections and beam spin asymmetries with both real and pseudo-data.

On extraction of twist-two Compton form factors from DVCS observables through harmonic analysis

We study the deeply virtual Compton scattering process with both twist-two and twist-three Compton form factors and present our cross-sections formulas with all polarization configurations. While the twist-three contributions are generally assumed to be negligible in the literature due to the kinematical suppression, we compare them with the twist-two ones at typical JLab 6 GeV and 12 GeV kinematics as well as EIC kinematics and show their kinematical suppression explicitly, justifying the leading-twist approximation made in the literature. In addition, we also estimate the twist-three Compton form factors using Wandzura-Wilczek relations and inputs of twist-two generalized parton distributions based on a reggeized spectator model. With those estimated Compton form factors, we analyze the kinematical behavior of twist-two and twist-three cross-sections in a wide range of kinematics, and discuss the optimal regions for separating the leading-twist effects from the higher-twist ones.

Brandon Kriesten

Twist-three cross-sections in deeply virtual Compton scattering

We study the deeply virtual Compton scattering cross-section in twist-two generalized parton distribution (GPD) approximation, and show that different choices of light-cone vectors and gauges for the final photon polarization will lead to different higher-order kinematical corrections to the cross-section formula. The choice of light-cone vectors affects kinematic corrections at the twist-three level, accounting for the differences between the cross-section formulas in the literature. On the other hand, kinematical corrections from higher-twist GPDs should eliminate the light-cone dependence at twist three. Those light-cone dependencies are studied systematically at JLab 12 GeV and future EIC kinematics. They serve as the intrinsic systematic uncertainties in extracting the Compton form factors through the cross-section formula. More importantly, they are also necessary for understanding cross-section measurements with higher-twist precision and to reconstruct higher-order Compton form factors.

Higher-order kinematical effects in deeply virtual Compton scattering

We derive a new twist-3 partonic sum rule for the transverse spin of the proton, which involves the well-know quark spin structure function <math><msub><mrow><mi>g</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>T</mi></mrow></msub><mo>(</mo><mi>x</mi><mo>)</mo><mo>=</mo><msub><mrow><mi>g</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>(</mo><mi>x</mi><mo>)</mo><mo>+</mo><msub><mrow><mi>g</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub><mo>(</mo><mi>x</mi><mo>)</mo></math>, the less-studied but known transverse gluon polarization density <math><mi>Δ</mi><msub><mrow><mi>G</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>T</mi></mrow></msub><mo>(</mo><mi>x</mi><mo>)</mo></math>, and quark and gluon canonical orbital angular momentum densities associated with transverse polarization. This is the counter part of the sum rule for the longitudinal spin of the proton derived by Jaffe and Manohar previously. We relate the partonic canonical orbital angular momentum densities to a new class of twist-3 generalized parton distribution functions which are potentially measurable in deep-virtual exclusive processes. We also discuss in detail an important technicality related to the transverse polarization in the infinite momentum frame, i.e., separation of intrinsic contributions from the extrinsic ones. We apply our finding to the transverse-space distributions of partons, angular momentum, and magnetic moment, respectively, in a transversely polarized proton.