A.V. Belitsky

Unraveling hadron structure with generalized parton distributions

Abstract The generalized parton distributions, introduced nearly a decade ago, have emerged as a universal tool to describe hadrons in terms of quark and gluonic degrees of freedom. They combine the features of form factors, parton densities and distribution amplitudes—the functions used for a long time in studies of hadronic structure. Generalized parton distributions are analogous to the phase-space Wigner quasi-probability function of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics which encodes full information on a quantum-mechanical system. We give an extensive review of main achievements in the development of this formalism. We discuss physical interpretation and basic properties of generalized parton distributions, their modeling and QCD evolution in the leading and next-to-leading orders. We describe how these functions enter a wide class of exclusive reactions, such as electro- and photo-production of photons, lepton pairs, or mesons. The theory of these processes requires and implies full control over diverse corrections and thus we outline the progress in handling higher-order and higher-twist effects. We catalogue corresponding results and present diverse techniques for their derivations. Subsequently, we address observables that are sensitive to different characteristics of the nucleon structure in terms of generalized parton distributions. The ultimate goal of the GPD approach is to provide a three-dimensional spatial picture of the nucleon, direct measurement of the quark orbital angular momentum, and various inter- and multi-parton correlations.

Final state interactions and gauge invariant parton distributions

Parton distributions contain factorizable final state interaction effects originating from the fast-moving struck quark interacting with the target spectators in deeply inelastic scattering. We show that these interactions give rise to gauge invariance of the transverse momentum-dependent parton distributions. As compared to previous analyses, our study demonstrates the existence of extra scaling contributions from transverse components of the gauge potential at the light-cone infinity. They form a transverse gauge link which is indispensable for restoration of the gauge invariance of parton distributions in the light-cone gauge where the gauge potential does not vanish asymptotically. Our finding helps to explain a number of features observed in a model calculation of structure functions in the light-cone gauge.

Gauge/string duality for QCD conformal operators

Abstract Renormalization group evolution of QCD composite light-cone operators, built from two and more quark and gluon fields, is responsible for the logarithmic scaling violations in diverse physical observables. We analyze spectra of anomalous dimensions of these operators at large conformal spins at weak and strong coupling with the emphasis on the emergence of a dual string picture. The multi-particle spectrum at weak coupling has a hidden symmetry due to integrability of the underlying dilatation operator which drives the evolution. In perturbative regime, we demonstrate the equivalence of the one-loop cusp anomaly to the disk partition function in two-dimensional Yang–Mills theory which admits a string representation. The strong coupling regime for anomalous dimensions is discussed within the two pictures addressed recently—minimal surfaces of open strings and rotating long closed strings in AdS background. In the latter case we find that the integrability implies the presence of extra degrees of freedom—the string junctions. We demonstrate how the analysis of their equations of motion naturally agrees with the spectrum found at weak coupling.

Theory of deeply virtual Compton scattering on the nucleon

Abstract We compute the cross section for leptoproduction of the real photon off the nucleon, which is sensitive to the deeply virtual Compton scattering amplitude with power accuracy. Our considerations go beyond the leading twist and involve the complete analysis in the twist-three approximation. We discuss consequences of the target and lepton beam polarizations for accessing the generalized parton distributions from experimental measurements of the azimuthal angular dependence of the final state photon or nucleon. We introduce several sets of asymmetries, defined as Fourier moments with respect to the azimuthal angle, which allow for a clear separation of the twist-two and -three sectors. Relying on a simple ansatz for the generalized parton distributions, we give quantitative estimates for azimuthal and spin asymmetries, discuss the uncertainties of these predictions brought in by radiative corrections, and compare them with experimental data as well as other theoretical expectations. Furthermore, we derive a general parametrization of the DVCS amplitudes in the region of small Bjorken variable.

Renormalization of twist - three operators and integrable lattice models

Abstract We address the problem of solution of the QCD three-particle evolution equations which govern the Q 2 -dependence of the chiral-even quark–gluon–quark and three-gluon correlators contributing to a number of asymmetries at leading order and the transversely polarized structure function g 2 ( x Bj ). The quark–gluon–quark case is completely integrable in multicolour limit and corresponds to a spin chain with non-periodic boundary conditions, while the pure gluonic sector contains, apart from a piece in the Hamiltonian equivalent to XXX Heisenberg magnet of spin s=− 3 2 , a non-integrable addendum which can be treated perturbatively for a bulk of the spectrum except for a few lowest energy levels. We construct a quasiclassical expansion with respect to the total conformal spin of the system and describe fairly well the energy spectra of quark–gluon–quark and three-gluon systems.

Fine structure of spectrum of twist-three operators in QCD

Abstract We unravel the structure of the spectrum of the anomalous dimensions of the quark–gluon twist-3 operators which are responsible for the multiparton correlations in hadrons and enter as a leading contribution to several physical cross sections. The method of analysis is based on the recent finding of a non-trivial integral of motion for the corresponding Hamiltonian problem in multicolour limit which results into exact integrability of the three-particle system. Quasiclassical expansion is used for solving the problem. We address the chiral-odd sector as a case of study.

Integrability and WKB solution of twist-three evolution equations

Abstract We identify an integrable one-dimensional inhomogeneous three-site open spin chain which arises in the problem of diagonalization of twist-three quark-gluon evolution equations in QCD in the chiral-odd sector. Making use of the existence of a non-trivial ‘hidden’ integral of motion the problem of diagonalization of the evolution kernels is reduced to the study of a second-order finite-difference equation which is solved in WKB approximation for large conformal spins of the three-particle system. The energies (alias anomalous dimensions) of eigenstates with different scale dependence are found in limiting cases and compared with numerical calculations.

Broken conformal invariance and spectrum of anomalous dimensions in QCD

Abstract Employing the operator algebra of the conformal group and the conformal Ward identities, we derive the constraints for the anomalies of dilatation and special conformal transformations of the local twist-2 operators in Quantum Chromodynamics. We calculate these anomalies in the leading order of perturbation theory in the minimal subtraction scheme. From the conformal consistency relation we derive then the off-diagonal part of the anomalous dimension matrix of the conformally covariant operators in the two-loop approximation of the coupling constant in terms of these quantities. We deduce corresponding off-diagonal parts of the Efremov-Radyushkin-Brodsky-Lepage kernels responsible for the evolution of the exclusive distribution amplitudes and non-forward parton distributions in the next-to-leading order in the flavour singlet channel for the chiral-even parity-odd and -even sectors as well as for the chiral-odd one. We also give the analytical solution of the corresponding evolution equations exploiting the conformal partial wave expansion.

Perturbative QCD analysis of the nucleon's Pauli form factor F2(Q2).

We perform a perturbative QCD analysis of the nucleons Pauli form factor F2(Q2) in the asymptotically large Q2 limit. We find that the leading contribution to F2(Q2) has a 1/Q6 power behavior, consistent with the well-known result in the literature. Its coefficient depends on the leading- and subleading-twist light-cone wave functions of the nucleon, the latter describing the quarks with one unit of orbital angular momentum. We also derive at the logarithmic accuracy the asymptotic scaling F2(Q2)/F(1)(Q2) approximately (log2Q2/Lambda2)/Q2 which describes recent Jefferson Lab data well.

Predictions from conformal algebra for the deeply virtual Compton scattering

Abstract Basing on the constraint equalities which arise from the algebra of the collinear conformal group and the conformal operator product expansion, we predict the solutions of the leading order evolution equations for the non-forward distributions, including transversity, in terms of the conformal moments; next-to-leading order flavour singlet coefficient functions for the polarized and unpolarized deeply virtual Compton scattering; as well as the contribution from renormalon chains to the eigenfunctions of the exclusive non-singlet evolution kernel.