No Arabic abstract
Protons and neutrons have a rich structure in terms of their constituents, the quarks and gluons. Understanding this structure requires solving Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). However QCD is extremely complicated, so we must numerically solve the equations of QCD using a method known as lattice QCD. Here we describe a typical lattice QCD calculation by examining our recent computation of the nucleon axial charge.
We report on a lattice QCD calculation of the nucleon axial charge, $g_A$, using M{o}bius Domain-Wall fermions solved on the dynamical $N_f=2+1+1$ HISQ ensembles after they are smeared using the gradient-flow algorithm. The calculation is performed with three pion masses, $m_pisim{310,220,130}$ MeV. Three lattice spacings ($asim{0.15,0.12,0.09}$ fm) are used with the heaviest pion mass, while the coarsest two spacings are used on the middle pion mass and only the coarsest spacing is used with the near physical pion mass. On the $m_pisim220$ MeV, $asim0.12$ fm point, a dedicated volume study is performed with $m_pi L sim {3.22,4.29,5.36}$. Using a new strategy motivated by the Feynman-Hellmann Theorem, we achieve a precise determination of $g_A$ with relatively low statistics, and demonstrable control over the excited state, continuum, infinite volume and chiral extrapolation systematic uncertainties, the latter of which remains the dominant uncertainty. Our final determination at 2.6% total uncertainty is $g_A = 1.278(21)(26)$, with the first uncertainty including statistical and systematic uncertainties from fitting and the second including model selection systematics related to the chiral and continuum extrapolation. The largest reduction of the second uncertainty will come from a greater number of pion mass points as well as more precise lattice QCD results near the physical pion mass.
The nucleon axial charge is calculated as a function of the pion mass in full QCD. Using domain wall valence quarks and improved staggered sea quarks, we present the first calculation with pion masses as light as 354 MeV and volumes as large as (3.5 fm)^3. We show that finite volume effects are small for our volumes and that a constrained fit based on finite volume chiral perturbation theory agrees with experiment within 7% statistical errors.
The nucleon axial form factor is a dominant contribution to errors in neutrino oscillation studies. Lattice QCD calculations can help control theory errors by providing first-principles information on nucleon form factors. In these proceedings, we present preliminary results on a blinded calculation of $g_A$ and the axial form factor using HISQ staggered baryons with 2+1+1 flavors of sea quarks. Calculations are done using physical light quark masses and are absolutely normalized. We discuss fitting form factor data with the model-independent $z$ expansion parametrization.
We report on our calculation of the nucleon axial charge gA in QCD with two flavours of dynamical quarks. A detailed investigation of systematic errors is performed, with a particular focus on contributions from excited states to three-point correlation functions. The use of summed operator insertions allows for a much better control over such contamination. After performing a chiral extrapolation to the physical pion mass, we find gA=1.223 +/- 0.063 (stat) +0.035 -0.060 (syst), in good agreement with the experimental value.
The current status of some nucleon isovector observables, the vector charge, (g_V), axial charge, (g_A), quark momentum fraction, (langle x rangle_{u-d}), and quark helicity fraction, (langle x rangle_{Delta u - Delta d}), calculated using recent RBC/UKQCD 2+1-flavor dynamical domain-wall fermions (DWF) lattice QCD ensembles are reported: with Iwasaki gauge action at inverse lattice spacing, (a^{-1}), of about 1.7 GeV, linear lattice extent, (L), of about 2.7 fm, pion mass, (m_pi), of about 420 and 330 MeV, and with Iwasaki(times)DSDR gauge action at (a^{-1}) of about 1.4 GeV, (L) of about 4.6 fm, and (m_pi) of about 250 and 170 MeV. The calculations have been refined with enhanced statistics, in particular through successful application of the all-mode-averaging (AMA) technique for the 170- and 330-MeV ensembles. As a result, the precision agreement seen in the charge ratio, (g_A/g_V), for 420-MeV and 250-MeV ensembles that share the finite-size scaling parameter (m_pi L) of about 5.8 is more significant with new values of 1.17(2) and 1.18(4) respectively. We also studied the dependence on the source-sink separation in the lightest ensemble of 170-MeV, by comparing the cases with the separation of about 1.0 and 1.3 fm and did not see any dependence: contamination from the excited states are well under control in our choice of source and sink smearing. The axial charge, (g_A) and the ratio, (g_A/g_V), shows a long-range autocorrelation that extends the entire range of configurations that were so far analyzed, almost 700 hybrid Molecular Dynamics time, in the lightest ensemble of (m_pi=170) MeV. The other observables do not show any autocorrelation with the interval of 16 trajectories.