Parton distributions and lattice-QCD calculations: Toward 3D structure

The strong force which binds hadrons is described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Determining the character and manifestations of QCD is one of the most important and challenging outstanding issues necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the structure of hadrons. Within the context of the QCD parton picture, the parton distribution functions (PDFs) have been remarkably successful in describing a wide variety of processes. However, these PDFs have generally been confined to the description of collinear partons within the hadron. New experiments and facilities provide the opportunity to additionally explore the transverse structure of hadrons which is described by generalized parton distributions (GPDs) and transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMD PDFs). In our previous report Lin et al. (2018), we compared and contrasted the two main approaches used to determine the collinear PDFs: the first based on perturbative QCD factorization theorems, and the second based on lattice-QCD calculations. In the present report, we provide an update of recent progress on the collinear PDFs, and also expand the scope to encompass the generalized PDFs (GPDs and TMD PDFs). We review the current state of the various calculations, and consider what new data might be available in the near future. We also examine how a shared effort can foster dialog between the PDF and lattice-QCD communities, and yield improvements for these generalized PDFs. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) describes the strong force binding hadrons together. Parton distribution functions (PDFs) have been successful in describing collinear partons within hadrons, but new experiments are exploring the transverse structure using generalized parton distributions (GPDs) and transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMD PDFs). Different methods, including perturbative QCD factorization theorems and lattice-QCD calculations, are used to determine PDFs and generalize the understanding of hadron structure.