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William Detmold

Publications and source records attributed to William Detmold.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Parton physics from a heavy-quark operator product expansion: Formalism and Wilson coefficients

Parton distribution functions (PDFs) and light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) are central non-perturbative objects of interest in high-energy inelastic and elastic scattering, respectively. As a result, an ab-initio determination of these objects is highly desirable. In this paper we present theoretical details for the calculation of the PDFs and LCDAs using a heavy-quark operator product expansion method. This strategy was proposed in a previous paper [Phys. Rev. D 73, 014501 (2006)] for computing higher moments of the PDFs using lattice QCD. Its central feature is the introduction of a fictitious, valence heavy quark. In the current article, we show that the operator product expansion (OPE) of the hadronic matrix element we study can also be expressed as the convolution of a perturbative matching kernel and the corresponding light-cone distribution, which in principle can be inverted to determine the parton momentum fraction dependence. Regarding the extraction of higher moments, this work also provides the one-loop Wilson coefficients in the OPE formulas for the unpolarized PDF, helicity PDF and pseudo-scalar meson LCDAs. Although these Wilson coefficients for the PDFs can be inferred from existing results in the literature, those for the LCDAs are new.

hep-lat↗

$Λ_b \to Λ\ell^+ \ell^-$ form factors, differential branching fraction, and angular observables from lattice QCD with relativistic $b$ quarks

Using $(2+1)$-flavor lattice QCD, we compute the 10 form factors describing the $Λ_b \to Λ$ matrix elements of the $b \to s$ vector, axial vector, and tensor currents. The calculation is based on gauge field ensembles generated by the RBC and UKQCD Collaborations with a domain-wall action for the $u$, $d$, and $s$ quarks and the Iwasaki gauge action. The $b$ quark is implemented using an anisotropic clover action, tuned nonperturbatively to the physical point, and the currents are renormalized with a mostly nonperturbative method. We perform simultaneous chiral, continuum, and kinematic extrapolations of the form factors through modified $z$ expansions. Using our form factor results, we obtain precise predictions for the $Λ_b \to Λ(\to p^+ π^-) μ^+ μ^-$ differential branching fraction and angular observables in the Standard Model.

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Low-energy Scattering and Effective Interactions of Two Baryons at $m_π\sim 450$ MeV from Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics

The interactions between two octet baryons are studied at low energies using lattice QCD (LQCD) with larger-than-physical quark masses corresponding to a pion mass of $m_π\sim 450$ MeV and a kaon mass of $m_{K}\sim 596$ MeV. The two-baryon systems that are analyzed range from strangeness $S=0$ to $S=-4$ and include the spin-singlet and triplet $NN$, $ΣN$ ($I=3/2$), and $ΞΞ$ states, the spin-singlet $ΣΣ$ ($I=2$) and $ΞΣ$ ($I=3/2$) states, and the spin-triplet $ΞN$ ($I=0$) state. The $s$-wave scattering phase shifts, low-energy scattering parameters, and binding energies when applicable, are extracted using Lüscher's formalism. While the results are consistent with most of the systems being bound at this pion mass, the interactions in the spin-triplet $ΣN$ and $ΞΞ$ channels are found to be repulsive and do not support bound states. Using results from previous studies at a larger pion mass, an extrapolation of the binding energies to the physical point is performed and is compared with experimental values and phenomenological predictions. The low-energy coefficients in pionless EFT relevant for two-baryon interactions, including those responsible for $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetry breaking, are constrained. The $SU(3)$ symmetry is observed to hold approximately at the chosen values of the quark masses, as well as the $SU(6)$ spin-flavor symmetry, predicted at large $N_c$. A remnant of an accidental $SU(16)$ symmetry found previously at a larger pion mass is further observed. The $SU(6)$-symmetric EFT constrained by these LQCD calculations is used to make predictions for two-baryon systems for which the low-energy scattering parameters could not be determined with LQCD directly in this study, and to constrain the coefficients of all leading $SU(3)$ flavor-symmetric interactions, demonstrating the predictive power of two-baryon EFTs matched to LQCD.

hep-lat↗

The axial charge of the triton from lattice QCD

The axial charge of the triton is investigated using lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Extending previous work at heavier quark masses, calculations are performed using three ensembles of gauge field configurations generated with quark masses corresponding to a pion mass of 450 MeV. Finite-volume energy levels for the triton, as well as for the deuteron and diproton systems, are extracted from analysis of correlation functions computed on these ensembles, and the corresponding energies are extrapolated to infinite volume using finite-volume pionless effective field theory (FVEFT). It is found with high likelihood that there is a compact bound state with the quantum numbers of the triton at these quark masses. The axial current matrix elements are computed using background field techniques on one of the ensembles and FVEFT is again used to determine the axial charge of the proton and triton. A simple quark mass extrapolation of these results and earlier calculations at heavier quark masses leads to a value of the ratio of the triton to proton axial charges at the physical quark masses of $g_A^{^{3}{\rm H}}/g_A^p=0.91\substack{+0.07 \\ -0.09}$. This result is consistent with the ratio determined from experiment and prefers values less than unity (in which case the triton axial charge would be unmodified from that of the proton), thereby demonstrating that QCD can explain the modification of the axial charge of the triton.

hep-lat↗

Path integral contour deformations for observables in $SU(N)$ gauge theory

Path integral contour deformations have been shown to mitigate sign and signal-to-noise problems associated with phase fluctuations in lattice field theories. We define a family of contour deformations applicable to $SU(N)$ lattice gauge theory that can reduce sign and signal-to-noise problems associated with complex actions and complex observables. For observables, these contours can be used to define deformed observables with identical expectation value but different variance. As a proof-of-principle, we apply machine learning techniques to optimize the deformed observables associated with Wilson loops in two dimensional $SU(2)$ and $SU(3)$ gauge theory. We study loops consisting of up to 64 plaquettes and achieve variance reduction of up to 4 orders of magnitude.

hep-lat↗

A Preliminary Determination of the Second Mellin Moment of the Pion's Distribution Amplitude Using the Heavy Quark Operator Product Expansion

We explore the feasibility of determining Mellin moments of the pion's light cone distribution amplitude using the heavy quark operator product expansion (HOPE) method. As the first step of a proof of principle study we pursue a determination of the second Mellin moment. We discuss our choice of kinematics which allows us to successfully extract the moment at low pion momentum. We describe the numerical simulation, and describe the data analysis, which leads us to a preliminary determination of the second Mellin moment in the continuum limit in the quenched approximation as $\langleξ^2\rangle=0.19(7)$ in the $\bar{\text{MS}}$ scheme at 2 GeV.

hep-lat↗

Quarkonium at non-zero isospin density

We calculate the energies of quarkonium bound states in the presence of a medium of nonzero isospin density using lattice QCD. The medium, created using a canonical (fixed isospin charge) approach, induces a reduction of the quarkonium energies. As the isospin density increases, the energy shifts first increase and then saturate. The saturation occurs at an isospin density close to that where previously a qualitative change in the behaviour of the energy density of the medium has been observed, which was conjectured to correspond to a transition from a pion gas to a Bose-Einstein condensed phase. The reduction of the quarkonium energies becomes more pronounced as the heavy-quark mass is decreased, similar to the behaviour seen in two-colour QCD at non-zero quark chemical potential. In the process of our analysis, the $η_b$-$π$ and $Υ$-$π$ scattering phase shifts are determined at low momentum. An interpolation of the scattering lengths to the physical pion mass gives $a_{η_b,π} = 0.0025(8)(6)$ fm and $a_{Υ,π} = 0.0030(9)(7)$ fm.

hep-lat↗

Lattice QCD constraints on the parton distribution functions of ${}^3\text{He}$

The fraction of the longitudinal momentum of ${}^3\text{He}$ that is carried by the isovector combination of $u$ and $d$ quarks is determined using lattice QCD for the first time. The ratio of this combination to that in the constituent nucleons is found to be consistent with unity at the few-percent level from calculations with quark masses corresponding to $m_π\sim 800$ MeV, extrapolated to the physical quark masses. This constraint is consistent with, and significantly more precise than, determinations from global nuclear parton distribution function fits. Including the lattice QCD determination of the momentum fraction in the nNNPDF global fitting framework results in the uncertainty on the isovector momentum fraction ratio being reduced by a factor of 2.5, and thereby enables a more precise extraction of the $u$ and $d$ parton distributions in ${}^3\text{He}$.

hep-lat↗

Nuclear matrix elements from lattice QCD for electroweak and beyond-Standard-Model processes

Over the last decade, numerical solutions of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) using the technique of lattice QCD have developed to a point where they are beginning to connect fundamental aspects of nuclear physics to the underlying degrees of freedom of the Standard Model. In this review, the progress of lattice QCD studies of nuclear matrix elements of electroweak currents and beyond-Standard-Model operators is summarized, and connections with effective field theories and nuclear models are outlined. Lattice QCD calculations of nuclear matrix elements can provide guidance for low-energy nuclear reactions in astrophysics, dark matter direct detection experiments, and experimental searches for violations of the symmetries of the Standard Model, including searches for additional CP violation in the hadronic and leptonic sectors, baryon-number violation, and lepton-number or flavor violation. Similarly, important inputs to neutrino experiments seeking to determine the neutrino-mass hierarchy and oscillation parameters, as well as other electroweak and beyond-Standard-Model processes can be determined. The phenomenological implications of existing studies of electroweak and beyond-Standard-Model matrix elements in light nuclear systems are discussed, and future prospects for the field toward precision studies of these matrix elements are outlined.

hep-lat↗

Two Nucleon Systems at $m_π\sim 450~{\rm MeV}$ from Lattice QCD

Nucleon-nucleon systems are studied with lattice quantum chromodynamics at a pion mass of $m_π\sim 450~{\rm MeV}$ in three spatial volumes using $n_f=2+1$ flavors of light quarks. At the quark masses employed in this work, the deuteron binding energy is calculated to be $B_d = 14.4^{+3.2}_{-2.6} ~{\rm MeV}$, while the dineutron is bound by $B_{nn} = 12.5^{+3.0}_{-5.0}~{\rm MeV}$. Over the range of energies that are studied, the S-wave scattering phase shifts calculated in the 1S0 and 3S1-3D1 channels are found to be similar to those in nature, and indicate repulsive short-range components of the interactions, consistent with phenomenological nucleon-nucleon interactions. In both channels, the phase shifts are determined at three energies that lie within the radius of convergence of the effective range expansion, allowing for constraints to be placed on the inverse scattering lengths and effective ranges. The extracted phase shifts allow for matching to nuclear effective field theories, from which low energy counterterms are extracted and issues of convergence are investigated. As part of the analysis, a detailed investigation of the single hadron sector is performed, enabling a precise determination of the violation of the Gell-Mann--Okubo mass relation. [An Erratum to the published version is included as an appendix. It details the impact of an error discovered in 2020 and corrects typographical errors.]

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Lattice QCD Inputs for Nuclear Double Beta Decay

Second order beta-decay processes with and without neutrinos in the final state are key probes of nuclear physics and of the nature of neutrinos. Neutrinoful double-beta decay is the rarest Standard Model process that has been observed and provides a unique test of the understanding of weak nuclear interactions. Observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay would reveal that neutrinos are Majorana fermions and that lepton number conservation is violated in nature. While significant progress has been made in phenomenological approaches to understanding these processes, establishing a connection between these processes and the physics of the Standard Model and beyond is a critical task as it will provide input into the design and interpretation of future experiments. The strong-interaction contributions to double-beta decay processes are non-perturbative and can only be addressed systematically through a combination of lattice Quantum Chromoodynamics (LQCD) and nuclear many-body calculations. In this review, current efforts to establish the LQCD connection are discussed for both neutrinoful and neutrinoless double-beta decay. LQCD calculations of the hadronic contributions to the neutrinoful process $nn\to pp e^- e^- \barν_e\barν_e$ and to various neutrinoless pionic transitions are reviewed, and the connections of these calculations to the phenomenology of double-beta decay through the use of effective field theory (EFTs) is highlighted. At present, LQCD calculations are limited to small nuclear systems, and to pionic subsystems, and require matching to appropriate EFTs to have direct phenomenological impact. However, these calculations have already revealed qualitatively that there are terms in the EFTs that can only be constrained from double-beta decay processes themselves or using inputs from LQCD. Future prospects for direct calculations in larger nuclei are also discussed.

nucl-th↗

Path integral contour deformations for noisy observables

Monte Carlo studies of many quantum systems face exponentially severe signal-to-noise problems. We show that noise arising from complex phase fluctuations of observables can be reduced without introducing bias using path integral contour deformation techniques. A numerical study of contour deformations for correlation functions in Abelian gauge theory and complex scalar field theory demonstrates that variance can be reduced by orders of magnitude without modifying Monte Carlo sampling.

hep-lat↗

Lattice QCD and Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

This document is one of a series of whitepapers from the USQCD collaboration. Here, we discuss opportunities for lattice QCD in neutrino-oscillation physics, which inevitably entails nucleon and nuclear structure. In addition to discussing pertinent lattice-QCD calculations of nucleon and nuclear matrix elements, the interplay with models of nuclei is discussed. This program of lattice- QCD calculations is relevant to current and upcoming neutrino experiments, becoming increasingly important on the timescale of LBNF/DUNE and HyperK.

hep-lat↗

Hadrons and Nuclei

This document is one of a series of whitepapers from the USQCD collaboration. Here, we discuss opportunities for lattice QCD calculations related to the structure and spectroscopy of hadrons and nuclei. An overview of recent lattice calculations of the structure of the proton and other hadrons is presented along with prospects for future extensions. Progress and prospects of hadronic spectroscopy and the study of resonances in the light, strange and heavy quark sectors is summarized. Finally, recent advances in the study of light nuclei from lattice QCD are addressed, and the scope of future investigations that are currently envisioned is outlined.

hep-lat↗

Lattice Calculation of the Proton Charge Radius

The charge radius of the proton has been measured in scattering and spectroscopy experiments using both electronic and muonic probes. The electronic and muonic measurements are discrepant at $5σ$, giving rise to what is known as the proton radius puzzle. With the goal of resolving this, we introduce a novel method of using lattice QCD to determine the isovector charge radius -- defined as the slope of the electric form factor at zero four-momentum transfer -- by introducing a mass splitting between the up and down quarks. This allows us to access timelike four-momentum transfers as well as spacelike ones, leading to potentially higher accuracy in determining the form factor slope at $Q^2 = 0$ by interpolation. In this preliminary study, we find a Dirac isovector radius squared of $0.320 \pm 0.074$ fm$^2$ at quark masses corresponding to $m_π= 450$ MeV. We compare the feasibility of this method with other approaches of determining the proton charge radius from lattice QCD.

hep-lat↗

Unwrapping phase fluctuations in one dimension

Correlation functions in one-dimensional complex scalar field theory provide a toy model for phase fluctuations, sign problems, and signal-to-noise problems in lattice field theory. Phase unwrapping techniques from signal processing are applied to lattice field theory in order to map compact random phases to noncompact random variables that can be numerically sampled without sign or signal-to-noise problems. A cumulant expansion can be used to reconstruct average correlation functions from moments of unwrapped phases, but points where the field magnitude fluctuates close to zero lead to ambiguities in the definition of the unwrapped phase and significant noise at higher orders in the cumulant expansion. Phase unwrapping algorithms that average fluctuations over physical length scales improve, but do not completely resolve, these issues in one dimension. Similar issues are seen in other applications of phase unwrapping, where they are found to be more tractable in higher dimensions.

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