Transverse spin structure of the nucleon from lattice-QCD simulations

We present the first calculation in lattice QCD of the lowest two moments of transverse spin densities of quarks in the nucleon. They encode correlations between quark spin and orbital angular momentum. Our dynamical simulations are based on two flavors of clover-improved Wilson fermions and Wilson gluons. We find significant contributions from certain quark helicity flip generalized parton distributions, leading to strongly distorted densities of transversely polarized quarks in the nucleon. In particular, based on our results and recent arguments by Burkardt [Phys. Rev. D 72, 094020 (2005)], we predict that the Boer-Mulders function h(1/1), describing correlations of transverse quark spin and intrinsic transverse momentum of quarks, is large and negative for both up and down quarks.     

Spin structure of the pion

We present the first calculation of the transverse spin structure of the pion in lattice QCD. Our simulations are based on two flavors of nonperturbatively improved Wilson fermions, with pion masses as low as 400 MeV in volumes up to (2.1 fm)(3) and lattice spacings below 0.1 fm. We find a characteristic asymmetry in the spatial distribution of transversely polarized quarks. This asymmetry is very similar in magnitude to the analogous asymmetry we previously obtained for quarks in the nucleon. Our results support the hypothesis that all Boer-Mulders functions are alike.     

New heavy mesons as hadronic molecules

We discuss a possible interpretation of the , D_s1(2460), and B_s1(5778) mesons as hadronic molecules. Using an effective Lagrangian approach we calculate their weak, strong and radiative decays. The new impact of the molecular structure of these states is the presence of u(d) quarks in the K, D^(∗) and B^(∗) mesons which gives rise to the direct strong isospin-violating transitions and in addition to the modes generated by η−π⁰ mixing as was considered before in the literature.     

Study of the charge dependence of the pion–nucleon coupling constant on the basis of data on low-energy nucleon–nucleon interactions

The relation between quantities that characterize the pion–nucleon and nucleon–nucleon interactions is studied with allowance for the fact that, at low energies, nuclear forces in nucleon–nucleon systems are mediated predominantly by one-pion exchange. On the basis of the values currently recommended for the low-energy parameters of the proton–proton interaction, the charged pion–nucleon coupling constant is evaluated at g_π²±/4π = 14.55(13). This value is in perfect agreement with the experimental value of g_π²±/4π = 14.52(26) found by the Uppsala Neutron Research Group. At the same time, the value obtained for the charged pion–nucleon coupling constant differs sizably from the value of the pion–nucleon coupling constant for neutral pions, which is g_π² 0/4π = 13.55(13). This is indicative of a substantial charge dependence of the coupling constant.     

Hadron structure at small momentum transfer

Giving three examples, the form factors of the nucleon, the polarisability of the charged pion and the interference of the S₁₁(1535) with the D₁₃(1520) excitation of the nucleon in the -decay channel, it is argued that the hadron structure at low momentum transfer is highly significant for studying QCD.     

A relativistic wave equation for the Skyrmion

We propose a relativistically invariant wave equation for the Skyrme soliton. It is a differential equation on the space R^1,3×S³ which is invariant under the Lorentz group and isospin. The internal variable valued in SU(2)≡S³ describes the orientation of the soliton. The mass of a particle of spin and isospin both equal to is predicted to be which agrees with the known spectrum for low angular momentum. The iso-scalar magnetic moment is predicted to be , where Σ is the spin.     

Leading-twist shadowing,black disk regime and forward hadron production

We review theory of the leading-twist nuclear shadowing, and describe phenomenon of post-selection suppression of leading parton spectrum (effective fractional energy losses) in the proximity of the black disk regime. We argue that 2→2$2\to 2$ mechanism dominates in the inclusive leading pion production in d-Au collisions and explain that the post-selection naturally explains both the magnitude of the suppression of the forward pion production in d-Au   collisions and the pattern of the forward–central correlations. At the same time this pattern of correlations rules out 2→1$2\to 1$ mechanism as the main source of the inclusive leading pion yield. It is demonstrated that the mechanism of the double-parton interactions gives an important contribution to the production of two leading pions in pp   scattering opening a new way to study correlations of leading quarks in the nucleon. The same mechanism is enhanced in dAu→π⁰π⁰+X$dAu\to {\pi }^0{\pi }^0+X$ collisions and explains the dominance of Δφ independent component and suppression of the away side peak.     

Grand unification in higher dimensions

We have recently proposed an alternative picture for the physics at the scale of gauge coupling unification, where the unified symmetry is realized in higher dimensions but is broken locally by a symmetry breaking defect. Gauge coupling unification, the quantum numbers of quarks and leptons and the longevity of the proton arise as phenomena of the symmetrical bulk, while the lightness of the Higgs doublets and the masses of the light quarks and leptons probe the symmetry breaking defect. Moreover, the framework is extremely predictive if the effective higher dimensional theory is valid over a large energy interval up to the scale of strong coupling. Precise agreement with experiments is obtained in the simplest theory—SU(5) in five dimensions with two Higgs multiplets propagating in the bulk. The weak mixing angle is predicted to be sin²θ_w=0.2313±0.0004, which fits the data with extraordinary accuracy. The compactification scale and the strong coupling scale are determined to be and , respectively. Proton decay with a lifetime of order is expected with a variety of final states such as e⁺π⁰, and several aspects of flavor, including large neutrino mixing angles, are understood by the geometrical locations of the matter fields. When combined with a particular supersymmetry breaking mechanism, the theory predicts large lepton flavor violating μ→e and τ→μ transitions, with all superpartner masses determined by only two free parameters. The predicted value of the bottom quark mass from Yukawa unification agrees well with the data. This paper is mainly a review of the work presented in hep-ph/0103125, hep-ph/0111068, and hep-ph/0205067 [1], [2] and [3].     

PHENIX spin program,recent results

Acceleration of polarized protons in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provides unique tool to study the spin structure of the nucleon. We give a brief overview of the PHENIX program to investigate poorly known gluon and flavor decomposed see quark polarization in the proton, utilizing polarized proton collisions at RHIC. We report PHENIX first results on transverse single-spin asymmetry inπ ⁰ and charged hadron production and longitudinal double-spin asymmetry inπ ⁰ production at mid-rapidity.