It has proven a significant challenge to experiment and phenomenology to extract precise values of the nucleon sigma terms. This difficulty opens the window for lattice QCD simulations to lead the field in resolving this aspect of nucleon structure. Here we report on recent advances in the extraction of nucleon sigma terms in lattice QCD. In particular, the strangeness component is now being resolved to a precision that far surpasses best phenomenological estimates.
We determine the nucleon axial, scalar and tensor charges within lattice Quantum Chromodynamics including all contributions from valence and sea quarks. We analyze three gauge ensembles simulated within the twisted mass formulation at approximately physical value of the pion mass. Two of these ensembles are simulated with two dynamical light quarks and lattice spacing $a=0.094$~fm and the third with $a=0.08$~fm includes in addition the strange and charm quarks in the sea. After comparing the results among these three ensembles, we quote as final values our most accurate analysis using the latter ensemble. For the nucleon isovector axial charge we find $1.286(23)$ in agreement with the experimental value. We provide the flavor decomposition of the intrinsic spin $frac{1}{2}DeltaSigma^q$ carried by quarks in the nucleon obtaining for the up, down, strange and charm quarks $frac{1}{2}DeltaSigma^{u}=0.431(8)$, $frac{1}{2}DeltaSigma^{d}=-0.212(8)$, $frac{1}{2}DeltaSigma^{s}=-0.023(4)$ and $frac{1}{2}DeltaSigma^{c}=-0.005(2)$, respectively. The corresponding values of the tensor and scalar charges for each quark flavor are also evaluated providing valuable input for experimental searches for beyond the standard model physics. In addition, we extract the nucleon $sigma$-terms and find for the light quark content $sigma_{pi N}=41.6(3.8)$~MeV and for the strange $sigma_{s}=45.6(6.2)$~MeV. The y-parameter that is used in phenomenological studies we find $y=0.078(7)$.
We present our most recent investigations on the QCD cross-over transition temperatures with 2+1 staggered flavours and one-link stout improvement [JHEP 1009:073, 2010]. We extend our previous two studies [Phys. Lett. B643 (2006) 46, JHEP 0906:088 (2009)] by choosing even finer lattices ($N_t$=16) and we work again with physical quark masses. All these results are confronted with the predictions of the Hadron Resonance Gas model and Chiral Perturbation Theory for temperatures below the transition region. Our results can be reproduced by using the physical spectrum in these analytic calculations. A comparison with the results of the hotQCD collaboration is also discussed.
Recent lattice results on the meson and baryon spectrum with a focus on the determination of hadronic resonance masses and widths using a combined basis of single-hadron and hadron-hadron interpolating fields are reviewed. These mostly exploratory calculations differ from traditional lattice QCD spectrum calculations for states stable under QCD, where calculations with a full uncertainty estimate are already routinely performed. Progress and challenges in these calculations are highlighted.
Including the meson-baryon (5 quark) intermediate states in a lattice simulation is challenging. However, it is important in order to obtain the correct energy eigenstates and to relate them to scattering phase shifts. Recent results for the negative parity nucleon channel and the problem of baryonic resonances in lattice calculations are discussed.
QCD lattice simulations yield hadron masses as functions of the quark masses. From the gradients of the hadron masses the sigma terms can then be determined. We consider here dynamical 2+1 flavour simulations, in which we start from a point of the flavour symmetric line and then keep the singlet or average quark mass fixed as we approach the physical point. This leads to highly constrained fits for hadron masses in a multiplet. The gradient of this path for a hadron mass then gives a relation between the light and strange sigma terms. A further relation can be found from the change in the singlet quark mass along the flavour symmetric line. This enables light and strange sigma terms to be estimated for the baryon octet.