We discuss in detail a method to study transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) using lattice QCD. To develop the formalism and to obtain first numerical results, we directly implement a bi-local quark-quark operator connect
ed by a straight Wilson line, allowing us to study T-even, process-independent TMDs. Beyond results for x-integrated TMDs and quark densities, we present a study of correlations in x and transverse momentum. Our calculations are based on domain wall valence quark propagators by the LHP collaboration calculated on top of gauge configurations provided by MILC with 2+1 flavors of asqtad-improved staggered sea quarks.
The electromagnetic form factors provide important insight into the internal structure of the nucleon and continue to be of major interest for experiment and phenomenology. For an intermediate range of momenta the form factors can be calculated on th
e lattice. However, the reliability of the results is limited by systematic errors mostly due to the required extrapolation to physical quark masses. Chiral effective field theories predict a rather strong quark mass dependence in a range which was yet inaccessible for lattice simulations. We give an update on recent results from the QCDSF collaboration using gauge configurations with dynamical Nf=2, non-perturbatively O(a)-improved Wilson fermions at pion masses as low as 350 MeV.
Transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs) encode information about the intrinsic motion of quarks inside the nucleon. They are important non-perturbative ingredients in our understanding of, e.g., azimuthal asymmetries and
other qualitative features in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experiments. We present first calculations on the lattice, based on MILC gauge configurations and propagators from LHPC. They yield polarized and unpolarized transverse momentum dependent quark densities and enable us to test the assumption of factorization in x and transverse momentum. The operators we employ are non-local and contain a Wilson line, whose renormalization requires the removal of a divergence linear in the cutoff 1/a.
In recent years the investigation of hadron structure using lattice techniques has attracted growing attention. In this talk we give an overview on recent work with a focus on results for nucleon spectrum and structure from the QCDSF collaboration.
Algorithmic progress in recent years made it possible to simulate QCD with Nf=2 flavours of O(a)-improved Wilson fermions at very light quark masses. We present the current results for baryon spectrum states, the nucleon axial coupling and the lowest
moment of unpolarised nucleon structure functions. Special emphasis is given to a comparison of our calculations with results from chiral effective theories.
We present preliminary numerical studies in Lattice QCD related to the intrinsic transverse momentum distribution of partons in the nucleon. We employ non-local operators, consisting of spatially separated quark creation and annihilation operators co
nnected by a straight Wilson line. A clear signal is already obtained from a small number of configurations at a pion mass of about 600 MeV. As an example, we demonstrate that we can obtain the first x-moment of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution function f_1^{n=1}(k_T) from our data. Our results, which are not renormalized, show a Gaussian-like distribution. The root mean squared transverse momentum is about 560 MeV for a Gaussian fit, close to phenomenological values.
