Daniel Pitonyak

Towards an explanation of transverse single-spin asymmetries in proton-proton collisions: the role of fragmentation in collinear factorization

We study the transverse single-spin asymmetry for single-hadron production in proton-proton collisions within the framework of collinear twist-3 factorization in Quantum Chromodynamics. By taking into account the contribution due to parton fragmentation we obtain a very good description of all high transverse-momentum data for neutral and charged pion production from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Our study may provide the crucial step towards a final solution to the longstanding problem of what causes transverse single-spin asymmetries in hadronic collisions within Quantum Chromodynamics. We show for the first time that it is possible to simultaneously describe spin/azimuthal asymmetries in proton-proton collisions, semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering, and electron-positron annihilation by using collinear twist-3 factorization in the first process along with transverse momentum dependent functions extracted from the latter two reactions.

Single-spin asymmetries in inclusive deep inelastic scattering and multiparton correlations in the nucleon

Transverse single-spin asymmetries in inclusive deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering can be generated through multiphoton exchange between the leptonic and the hadronic part of the process. Here we consider the two-photon exchange, and mainly focus on the transverse target spin asymmetry. In particular, we investigate the case where two photons couple to different quarks. Such a contribution involves a quark-photon-quark correlator in the nucleon, which has a (model-dependent) relation to the Efremov-Teryaev-Qiu-Sterman quark-gluon-quark correlator T_F. Using different parametrizations for T_F we compute the transverse target spin asymmetries for both a proton and a neutron target and compare the results to recent experimental data. In addition, potential implications for our general understanding of single-spin asymmetries in hard scattering processes are discussed.

Helicity evolution at small x

A bstractWe construct small-x evolution equations which can be used to calculate quark and anti-quark helicity TMDs and PDFs, along with the g1 structure function. These evolution equations resum powers of αs ln2(1/x) in the polarization-dependent evolution along with the powers of αs ln(1/x) in the unpolarized evolution which includes saturation effects. The equations are written in an operator form in terms of polarization-dependent Wilson line-like operators. While the equations do not close in general, they become closed and self-contained systems of non-linear equations in the large-Nc and large-Nc & Nf limits. As a cross-check, in the ladder approximation, our equations map onto the same ladder limit of the infrared evolution equations for the g1 structure function derived previously by Bartels, Ermolaev and Ryskin [1].

Longitudinal-transverse double-spin asymmetries in single-inclusive leptoproduction of hadrons

Abstract We analyze the longitudinal–transverse double-spin asymmetry in lepton–nucleon collisions where a single hadron is detected in the final state, i.e., l → N ↑ → h X . This is a subleading-twist observable in collinear factorization, and we look at twist-3 effects in both the transversely polarized nucleon and the unpolarized outgoing hadron. Results are anticipated for this asymmetry from both HERMES and Jefferson Lab Hall A, and it could be measured as well at COMPASS and a future Electron–Ion Collider. We also perform a numerical study of the distribution term, which, when compared to upcoming experimental results, could allow one to learn about the “worm-gear”-type function g ˜ ( x ) as well as assess the role of quark–gluon–quark correlations in the initial-state nucleon and twist-3 effects in the fragmenting unpolarized hadron.

Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Proton-Proton Collisions at the AFTER@LHC Experiment

We present results for transverse single-spin asymmetries in proton-proton collisions at kinematics relevant for AFTER, a proposed fixed-target experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. These include predictions for pion, jet, and direct photon production from analytical formulas already available in the literature. We also discuss specific measurements that will benefit from the higher luminosity of AFTER, which could help resolve an almost 40-year puzzle of what causes transverse single-spin asymmetries in proton-proton collisions.

Left-right spin asymmetry in ℓN↑→hX

Leonard Gamberg, ∗ Zhong-Bo Kang, † Andreas Metz, ‡ Daniel Pitonyak, § and Alexei Prokudin ¶ Division of Science, Penn State Berks, Reading, PA 19610, USA Los Alamos National Laboratory, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA Department of Physics, Barton Hall, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA RIKEN BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA Jefferson Lab, 12000 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23606, USA

Analysis of the double-spin asymmetry A_LT in inelastic nucleon-nucleon collisions

Within the collinear twist-3 framework, we analyze the double-spin asymmetry in collisions between longitudinally polarized nucleons and transversely polarized nucleons with focus on hadron and jet production. As was the case in direct photon production, the double-spin dependent cross section for hadron and jet production has the advantage of involving a complete set of collinear twist-3 functions. In addition, we outline further benefits of this observable for a potential future measurement at RHIC, which includes insight on the gluon helicity distribution as well as information on the Efremov-Teryaev-Qiu-Sterman function T_F(x,x) that plays a crucial role in single-spin asymmetries.

Operator constraints for twist-3 functions and Lorentz invariance properties of twist-3 observables

We investigate the behavior under Lorentz transformations of perturbative coefficient functions in a collinear twist-3 formalism relevant for high-energy observables including transverse polarization of hadrons. We argue that those perturbative coefficient functions can, a priori, acquire quite different yet Lorentz-invariant forms in various frames. This somewhat surprising difference can be traced back to a general dependence of the perturbative coefficient functions on light cone vectors which are introduced by the twist-3 factorization formulas and which are frame-dependent. One can remove this spurious frame dependence by invoking so-called Lorentz invariance relations (LIRs) between twist-3 parton correlation functions. Some of those relations for twist-3 distribution functions were discussed in the literature before. In this paper we derive the corresponding LIRs for twist-3 fragmentation functions. We explicitly demonstrate that these LIRs remove the light cone vector dependence by considering transverse spin observables in the single-inclusive production of hadrons in lepton-nucleon collisions,

Helicity evolution at small x: Flavor singlet and nonsinglet observables

\ensuremath{\ell}N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}hX

Small-

. With the LIRs in hand, we also show that twist-3 observables in general can be written solely in terms of three-parton correlation functions.