Advancements in Understanding Nucleon Structure Through Lattice QCD

Recent advancements in lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) have provided new insights into the three-dimensional structure of nucleons, which are the building blocks of atomic nuclei. The paper titled "Nucleon Transversity from lattice QCD" by Constantia Alexandrou from the University of Cyprus presents significant findings regarding nucleon charges and the second Mellin moments of parton distribution functions. These results were achieved using gauge ensembles simulated with physical quark masses, which enhances the reliability of the data.

The study highlights the determination of the tensor charge and transversity moments, which are crucial for extracting nucleon transverse density distributions. This work is particularly relevant as it lays the groundwork for future evaluations of generalized parton distributions in lattice QCD, which could have substantial implications for our understanding of nucleon structure and interactions.

The findings are expected to influence phenomenology, which is the application of theoretical physics to real-world observations. By improving our understanding of nucleon structure, this research could impact various fields, including particle physics and cosmology, where the behavior of nucleons plays a critical role.

The paper was presented at the 7th International Workshop on "Transverse phenomena in hard processes and the transverse structure of the proton (Transversity2024)" held in Trieste, Italy, from June 3 to 7, 2024. For more detailed information, the full paper can be accessed here.