No Arabic abstract
We use a continuum quark+diquark approach to the nucleon bound-state problem in relativistic quantum field theory to deliver parameter-free predictions for the nucleon axial and induced pseudoscalar form factors, $G_A$ and $G_P$, and unify them with the pseudoscalar form factor $G_5$ or, equivalently, the pion-nucleon form factor $G_{pi NN}$. We explain how partial conservation of the axial-vector current and the associated Goldberger-Treiman relation are satisfied once all necessary couplings of the external current to the building blocks of the nucleon are constructed consistently; in particular, we fully resolve the seagull couplings to the diquark-quark vertices associated with the axial-vector and pseudoscalar currents. Among the results we describe, the following are worth highlighting. A dipole form factor defined by an axial charge $g_A=G_A(0)=1.25(3)$ and a mass-scale $M_A = 1.23(3) m_N$, where $m_N$ is the nucleon mass, can accurately describe the pointwise behavior of $G_A$. Concerning $G_P$, we obtain the pseudoscalar charge $g_p^ast = 8.80(23)$, and find that the pion pole dominance approach delivers a reliable estimate of the directly computed result. Our computed value of the pion-nucleon coupling constant, $g_{pi NN}/m_N =14.02(33)/{rm GeV}$ is consistent with a Roy--Steiner-equation analysis of pion-nucleon scattering. We also observe a marked suppression of the size of the $d$-quark component relative to that of the $u$-quark in the ratio $g_A^d/g_A^u=-0.16(2)$, which highlights the presence of strong diquark correlations inside the nucleon -- both scalar and axial-vector, with the scalar diquark being dominant.
It has been observed in multiple lattice determinations of isovector axial and pseudoscalar nucleon form factors, that, despite the fact that the partial conservation of the axialvector current is fulfilled on the level of correlation functions, the corresponding relation for form factors (sometimes called the generalized Goldberger-Treiman relation in the literature) is broken rather badly. In this work we trace this difference back to excited state contributions and propose a new projection method that resolves this problem. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method by computing the axial and pseudoscalar form factors as well as related quantities on ensembles with two flavors of improved Wilson fermions using pion masses down to 150 MeV. To this end, we perform the $z$-expansion with analytically enforced asymptotic behaviour and extrapolate to the physical point.
We study the scattering of neutrinos on polarized and unpolarized free nucleons, and also the polarization of recoil particles in these scatters. In contrast to electromagnetic processes, the parity-violating weak interaction gives rise to large spin asymmetries at leading order. Future polarization measurements could provide independent access to the proton axial structure and allow the first extraction of the pseudoscalar form factor from neutrino data without the conventional partially conserved axial current (PCAC) ansatz and assumptions about the pion-pole dominance. The pseudoscalar form factor can be accessed with precise measurements with muon (anti)neutrinos of a few hundreds $mathrm{MeV}$ of energy or with tau (anti)neutrinos. The axial form factor can be extracted from scattering measurements using accelerator neutrinos of all energies.
Previous lattice QCD calculations of axial vector and pseudoscalar form factors show significant deviation from the partially conserved axial current (PCAC) relation between them. Since the original correlation functions satisfy PCAC, the observed deviations from the operator identity cast doubt on whether all the systematics in the extraction of form factors from the correlation functions are under control. We identify the problematic systematic as a missed excited state, whose energy as a function of the momentum transfer squared, $Q^2$, is determined from the analysis of the 3-point functions themselves. Its mass is much smaller than those of the excited states previously considered and including it impacts the extraction of all the ground state matrix elements. The form factors extracted using these mass/energy gaps satisfy PCAC and other consistency conditions, and validate the pion-pole dominance hypothesis. We also show that the extraction of the axial charge $g_A$ is very sensitive to the value of the mass gaps of the excited states used and current lattice data do not provide an unambiguous determination of these, unlike the $Q^2 eq 0$ case. To highlight the differences and improvement between the conventional versus the new analysis strategy, we present a comparison of results obtained on a physical pion mass ensemble at $aapprox 0.0871,mathrm{fm}$. With the new strategy, we find $g_A = 1.30(6)$. A very significant improvement over previous lattice results is found for the axial charge radius $r_A = 0.74(6),mathrm{fm}$, extracted using the $z$-expansion to parameterize the $Q^2$ behavior of $G_A(Q^2)$, and $g_P^ast = 8.06(44)$ obtained using the pion pole-dominance ansatz to fit the $Q^2$ behavior of the induced pseudoscalar form factor $widetilde{G}_P(Q^2)$.
We compute the nucleon axial and induced pseudoscalar form factors using three ensembles of gauge configurations, generated with dynamical light quarks with mass tuned to approximately their physical value. One of the ensembles also includes the strange and charm quarks with their mass close to physical. The latter ensemble has large statistics and finer lattice spacing and it is used to obtain final results, while the other two are used for assessing volume effects. The pseudoscalar form factor is also computed using these ensembles. We examine the momentum dependence of these form factors as well as relations based on pion pole dominance and the partially conserved axial-vector current hypothesis.
We present first results on the axial and pseudoscalar $Delta$ form factors. The analysis is carried out in the quenched approximation where statistical errors are small and the lattice set-up can be investigated relatively quickly. We also present an analysis with a hybrid action using staggered sea quarks and domain-wall valence fermions.