Measures of pion and kaon structure from generalised parton distributions

Pion and kaon structural properties provide insights into the emergence of mass within the Standard Model and attendant modulations by the Higgs boson. Novel expressions of these effects, in impact parameter space and in mass and pressure profiles, are exposed via pi and K generalised parton distributions, built using the overlap representation from light-front wave functions constrained by one-dimensional valence distribution functions that describe available data. Notably, e.g. K pressure profiles are spatially more compact than pi profiles and both achieve near-core pressures of similar magnitude to that found in neutron stars. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The structural properties of π and K mesons provide insights into mass generation in the Standard Model and the modulation by the Higgs boson. Novel effects in impact parameter space and mass and pressure profiles are revealed through generalised parton distributions constructed from light-front wave functions and one-dimensional valence distribution functions. Notably, K pressure profiles are spatially more compact than π profiles, reaching near-core pressures similar to those in neutron stars.