arXiv subjects

James P. Vary

Publications and source records attributed to James P. Vary.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Nucleon Structure from Basis Light-Front Quantization : Status and Prospects

We review recent advancements in understanding nucleon structure within the Basis Light-Front Quantization (BLFQ) framework--a fully relativistic, nonperturbative approach to solving quantum field theories. In its initial phase, we start with the leading Fock sector $|qqq\rangle$ and an effective light-front Hamiltonian incorporating confinement and one-gluon exchange within which BLFQ can already successfully describe key nucleon observables. The framework has since been extended to include the next-to-leading Fock sector $|qqqg\rangle$, enabling studies of gluonic contributions to the nucleon's internal structure, including gluon helicity, orbital angular momentum, and three-dimensional imaging through generalized and transverse momentum dependent parton distributions (GPDs and TMDs). Most recently, BLFQ has achieved a significant milestone by computing nucleon light-front wavefunctions as eigenstates of the QCD Hamiltonian without an explicit confining potential. These calculations, including Fock sectors up to $|qqqq\bar{q}\rangle$, further develop the path to first-principles predictions of quark and gluon matter densities, helicity and transversity distributions, and spin observables, showing qualitative agreement with experimental and phenomenological results. Together, these developments highlight BLFQ's growing capacity to provide an increasingly complete and realistic picture of nucleon structure grounded in QCD.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Performance Evaluations of Signed and Unsigned Noisy Approximate Quantum Fourier Arithmetic

The Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT) grants competitive advantages, especially in resource usage and circuit approximation, for performing arithmetic operations on quantum computers, and offers a potential route towards a numerical quantum-computational paradigm. In this paper, we utilize efficient techniques to implement QFT-based integer addition and multiplications. These operations are fundamental to various quantum applications including Shor's algorithm, weighted sum optimization problems in data processing and machine learning, and quantum algorithms requiring inner products. We carry out performance evaluations of these implementations based on IBM's superconducting qubit architecture using different compatible noise models. We isolate the sensitivity of the component quantum circuits on both one-/two-qubit gate error rates, and the number of the arithmetic operands' superposed integer states. We analyze performance, and identify the most effective approximation depths for unsigned quantum addition and quantum multiplication within the given context. We then perform a similar analysis of signed addition and compare to the unsigned results. We observe significant dependency of the optimal approximation depth on the degree of machine noise and the number of superposed states in certain performance regimes. Finally, we elaborate on the algorithmic challenges - relevant to signed, unsigned, modular and non-modular versions - that could also be applied to current implementations of QFT-based subtraction, division, exponentiation, and their potential tensor extensions. We analyze the performance trends in our results and speculate on possible future developments within this computational paradigm.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Basis light-front quantization approach to $Λ$ and $Λ_c$ and their isospin triplet baryons

We obtain the masses, the electromagnetic properties, and the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of $Λ$, $Λ_c$, and their isospin triplet baryons, i.e, $Σ^0$, $Σ^+$, $Σ^-$ and $Σ_c^0$, $Σ_c^+$, $Σ_c^{++}$ from a light-front effective Hamiltonian in the leading Fock sector in the basis light-front quantization framework. The light-front wave functions of these baryons are given by the eigenstates of the effective Hamiltonian consisting of a three-dimensional confinement potential and a one-gluon exchange interaction with fixed coupling. The masses of these baryons in our approach are in the experimental range while isospin-dependent mass differences are too small. Meanwhile, the electromagnetic properties are in agreement with the available experimental data, the lattice QCD simulations, and the other theoretical calculations. We also present the gluon and the sea quark PDFs, which we generate dynamically from the QCD evolution of the valence quark distributions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Dynamical gluon effects in the three-dimensional structure of pion

We investigate the internal structure of the pion, including the contributions from one dynamical gluon, using the basis light-front quantization (BLFQ) approach. By solving a light-front QCD Hamiltonian with a three-dimensional confining potential, we obtain the light-front wavefunctions (LFWFs) for both the quark-antiquark and quark-antiquark-gluon Fock sectors. These wavefunctions are then employed to compute the unpolarized generalized parton distributions (GPDs) and the transverse-momentum-dependent parton distributions (TMDs) of valence quarks and gluons. We also extract the transverse spatial distributions, providing the squared radii of quark and gluon densities in the impact-parameter space. This work contributes toward a three-dimensional understanding of the pion's internal structure in both momentum and coordinate space.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Double parton distributions of the proton from basis light-front quantization

Within the basis light-front quantization framework, we systematically investigate the unpolarized and longitudinally polarized double parton distributions (DPDs) of quarks inside the proton. We utilize the light-front wave functions of the proton derived in the valence sector from a Hamiltonian quantized on the light-front. The interaction terms of the Hamiltonian consist of a one-gluon exchange interaction at fixed coupling and a three-dimensional confinement potential. Our current analysis yields significant correlations of the quarks' longitudinal momenta with their transverse separation. We also demonstrate that our calculations do not support the commonly used $x-\vec{k}_\perp$ factorization of the DPDs in $x$ and $k_\perp$. Our results are qualitatively consistent with those of other phenomenological models.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Relativistic dynamics of charmonia in strong magnetic fields

We investigate the properties of charmonium systems in strong external magnetic fields using a relativistic light-front Hamiltonian approach within the Basis Light-Front Quantization (BLFQ) framework. By solving the eigenvalue problem for the invariant mass squared operator with confinement potentials and one-gluon-exchange interactions, we obtain the mass spectrum and wave functions under varying magnetic fields. Our results reveal significant spectral modifications via the Zeeman effect, including $η_c$-$J/ψ$ mixing and magnetic sublevel splitting. Momentum density analysis demonstrates wave function deformation, with transverse momentum broadening and longitudinal narrowing under strong fields, alongside structural shifts in parton distributions such as double-hump profiles in excited states. Relativistic corrections and center-of-mass coupling critically drive these dynamics, highlighting the necessity of a relativistic framework for QCD bound states in extreme magnetic environments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Parton distribution functions from scalar light-front parton gas model

We propose an application of a microcanonical ensemble with light-front kinematics to model the phase-space distribution of relativistic constituents of a bound state. These constituents denoted by partons are treated as classical spin-zero particles confined inside the bound state with inter-parton collisions as their only interaction. The microcanonical molecular dynamics ensemble is applied to obtain the phase-space distribution of such a thermodynamic system. We sample this phase-space distribution using Monte Carlo algorithms to obtain the parton distribution functions (PDFs) in scenarios with $3$, $4$, and $5$ identical partons. In addition PDFs when a selected number of massless partons are mixed with $3$ massive partons are also presented.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Proton Gravitational Structure and Mass Decomposition on the Light Front

Gravitational form factors (GFFs) of hadrons encode essential information about the internal distributions of mass, spin, pressure, and shear among their quark and gluon constituents. We compute the quark and gluon GFFs of the proton using a fully relativistic, nonperturbative framework based on a light-front quantized Hamiltonian with quantum chromodynamics (QCD) input. This allows us to quantify the impact of a dynamical gluon on the proton's mechanical properties, such as pressure and shear distributions. Our predictions agree well with recent lattice QCD results and experimental extractions. We also determine the proton's mass and mechanical radii and address the long-standing puzzle of its mass decomposition. At the scale $μ^2 = 4~\mathrm{GeV}^2$, we find that quark energy, gluon field energy, the quark condensate, and the QCD trace anomaly contribute $31.5\%$, $34.7\%$, $11.3\%$, and $22.5\%$, respectively, which are consistent with lattice QCD findings.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Ab initio many-fermion structure calculations on a quantum computer

To overcome the limitations of existing algorithms for solving self-bound quantum many-body problems -- such as those encountered in nuclear and particle physics -- that access only a restricted subset of energy levels and provide limited structural information, we introduce and demonstrate a novel quantum-classical approach capable of resolving the complete bound-state spectrum. This method also provides the total angular momentum $J$ associated with each eigenstate. Our approach is based on expressing the Hamiltonian in second-quantized form within a novel input model combined with a scan scheme, enabling broad applicability to configuration-interaction calculations across diverse fields. We apply this hybrid method to compute, for the first time, the bound-state spectrum together with corresponding $J$ values of ${^{20}O}$ using a realistic strong-interaction Hamiltonian. Our approach applies to hadron spectra and $J$ values solved in the relativistic Basis Light-Front Quantization approach.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Gluonic contributions to the pion parton distribution functions

We investigate the role of a dynamical gluon in the pion within the Basis Light-Front Quantization (BLFQ) framework and compare it with the solution of the Minkowski space Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE), focusing on contributions beyond the valence sector. We develop a framework to compute the quark-antiquark-gluon component of the pion, starting from its valence light-front wave function. Additionally, the quark and gluon parton distribution functions (PDFs) are derived by considering this higher Fock component in the pion state. The proposed operator, which acts on the valence state to produce the quark-antiquark-gluon component of the pion, is tested against results from BLFQ for its contribution to the quark and gluon PDFs, as well as with results from the BSE. In the BLFQ framework, we identify the effect of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking on the pion structure through the enhancement of the spin-flip matrix element. This enhancement is captured in the $|q\bar{q}g\rangle$ component of the light-front wave function and the associated gluon PDF. We explicitly demonstrate an enhancement of the low-$x$ contribution in the quark PDF, which is associated with the large spin-flip matrix element, which also drives the $π-ρ$ mass splitting. The proposed framework also enables an exploration of the effect of the dressed gluon mass for a given valence state at the pion scale. We show that when the gluon mass vanishes, departing from the constituent gluon picture, it has a significant impact on the gluon PDF.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Basis light-front quantization approach to deuteron

We obtain the deuteron's wave functions as eigenstates of the light-front quantum chromodynamics (QCD) Hamiltonian using a fully relativistic and nonperturbative approach based on light-front quantization, without an explicit confining potential. These eigenstates include six-quark and six-quark--one-gluon components. The deuteron wave function consists of both a singlet-singlet color state and additional hidden color states arising from non-trivial color rearrangements. Our results reveal that while the singlet-singlet state is present, the hidden color states collectively dominate, contributing a larger probability to the deuteron wave function. This highlights the significant role of hidden color components in the QCD description of nuclear structure. Using these wave functions, we investigate the deuteron's electromagnetic properties.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Covariant analysis of electromagnetic current on the light cone: exposition with scalar Yukawa theory

We present the first systematic investigation of the Lorentz covariance of the charge form factor for a strongly coupled scalar theory in (3+1)-dimensions. Our results are based on the first non-perturbative solution of the scalar Yukawa theory with a Fock sector expansion including up to thee-particles (one mock nucleon plus two mock pions or two mock nucleons plus one mock anti-nucleon). The light-front Hamiltonian is constructed and renormalized using a Fock sector dependent scheme. The derived eigenvalue equation is then solved non-perturbatively to obtain the wave functions, which are then used to compute the current matrix element. We perform a covariant analysis of the current matrix element taking into account possible violation of the Poincaré symmetry due to the Fock sector truncation. The physical form factor depends on two boost invariants $ζ, Δ^2_\perp$, instead of the single Lorentz invariant $Q^2$. Instead of adopting the conventional Drell-Yan frame $ζ= 0$, we evaluate the form factor in general frames, and use the frame dependence to quantitatively gauge the loss of the Lorentz covariance. Our numerical result shows that as more Fock sectors are included, the frame dependence reduces dramatically. In particular, the anti-nucleon degree of freedom plays an important role in the reduction of the frame dependence, even though it only takes a small portion within the state vector. We also find that there is no zero-mode contribution to the current for the scalar Yukawa theory.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Systematic many-fermion Hamiltonian input scheme and spectral calculations on quantum computers

We present a novel input scheme for general second-quantized Hamiltonians of relativistic or non-relativistic many-fermion systems. This input scheme incorporates the fermionic anticommutation relations, particle number variations, and respects the symmetries of the Hamiltonian. Based on our input scheme, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical framework for spectral calculations on future quantum hardwares. We provide explicit circuit designs and the associated gate cost. We demonstrate our hybrid framework by solving the low-lying spectra of ${^{42}}$Ca and ${^{46}}$Ca. Our input scheme provides new pathways to solving the spectra and dynamics of the relativistic and nonrelativistic many-fermion systems via first-principles approaches.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Gravitational form factor $D$ of charmonium from shear stress

Based on our recent analysis of the hadronic matrix element of the stress-energy tensor in covariant light front dynamics, we extract the charmonium gravitational form factor $D(Q^2)$ from shear stress $T^{12}$. This is in contrast to our recent work using the (light-front) energy density $T^{+-}$. Indeed, by comparing these two currents, we identify terms that are responsible for the violation of the current conservation. Numerical results based on basis light-front quantization show that the violation effects are small and the $D$-term extracted from the two currents are close to each other, hence validating our previous work using $T^{+-}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Color structure of deuteron on the light front

We investigate the color structure of the deuteron by solving the light-front QCD Hamiltonian for its six-quark and six-quark-one-gluon components using basis light-front quantization. In this framework, the deuteron wavefunction consists of a singlet-singlet color state as well as additional hidden color states arising from non-trivial color rearrangements. Our analysis shows that while the singlet-singlet state is present, the hidden color states collectively dominate, contributing a larger probability to the deuteron wavefunction. These findings provide new insights into the role of hidden color components in the QCD description of nuclear structure.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Basis light-front quantization: Advancing a first principles approach for the nucleon

We present our recent progress in applying the basis light-front quantization approach to investigate the nucleon's structure. We solve its wave functions from the eigenstates of the light-front QCD Hamiltonian using a fully relativistic, nonperturbative approach without an explicit confining potential. These eigenstates are determined for the three-quark, three-quark-gluon, and three-quark-quark-antiquark Fock representations, making them suitable for low-resolution probes. From these wave functions, we compute the nucleon's quark and gluon matter densities, as well as its helicity and transversity distributions, showing qualitative consistency with experimental data. We also determine the quark and gluon helicity contributions to the proton spin and the tensor charges. The resulting light-front wave functions represent a significant step toward a unified description of hadron distribution functions in both longitudinal and transverse momentum space.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Basis light-front quantization for the $Λ_b$ and $Σ_b$ baryons

Within the basis light-front quantization framework, we compute the masses and light-front wave functions of the $Λ_b$ baryon and its isospin triplet counterparts $Σ_b^+$, $Σ_b^0$, and $Σ_b^-$ using a light-front effective Hamiltonian in the leading Fock sector. These wave functions are obtained as eigenstates of the effective Hamiltonian, which incorporates the one-gluon exchange interaction with fixed coupling and a three-dimensional confinement potential. With the quark masses and the couplings as adjustable parameters, the computed masses are set within the experimental range. The resulting predictions for their electromagnetic properties align well with other theoretical calculations. Additionally, the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of these baryons are obtained for the first time, with gluon and sea quark distributions dynamically generated through QCD evolution of the valence quark PDFs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Dissecting a strongly coupled scalar nucleon

We continue our investigation of the stress within a strongly coupled scalar nucleon, and now dissect the gravitational form factors into contributions from its constituents, the (mock) nucleon and the (mock) pion. The computation is based on a non-perturbative solution of the scalar Yukawa model in the light-front Hamiltonian formalism with a Fock sector expansion including up to one nucleon and two pions. By employing the ``good currents" $T^{++}_i$, $T^{+-}_i$ and $T^{12}_i$, we extract the full set of gravitational form factors $A_i$, $D_i$, $\bar c_i$ without the contamination of the spurious form factors, and free of uncanceled UV divergences. With these results, we decompose the mass of the system into its constituents and compute the matter and mechanical radii, gaining insights into the strongly coupled system.

hep-ph↗