Lattice results for the longitudinal spin structure and color forces on quarks in a nucleon

Abstract

Using lattice QCD, we calculate the twist-2 contribution $a_2$ to the third Mellin moment of the spin structure functions $g_1$ and $g_2$ in the nucleon. In addition we evaluate the twist-3 contribution $d_2$. Our computations make use of $N_f=2+1$ gauge field ensembles generated by the Coordinated Lattice Simulations (CLS) effort. Neglecting quark-line disconnected contributions we obtain as our best estimates $a_2^{(p)}= 0.069(17)$, $d_2^{(p)}= 0.0105(68)$ and $a_2^{(n)}= 0.0068(88)$, $d_2^{(n)}= -0.0009(70)$ for the proton and the neutron, respectively, where we use the normalizations given in Eqs. (58) and (59). While the $a_2$ results have been converted to the $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$ scheme using three-loop perturbation theory, the numbers for $d_2$ are given in the regularization independent momentum subtraction (RI$^\prime$-MOM) scheme, i.e., the conversion has been performed only in tree-level perturbation theory. The $d_2$ results can be interpreted as corresponding to a transverse color Lorentz force on a quark in a transversely polarized proton of size $F^{(u)} = 116(61)$ MeV/fm and $F^{(d)} = -38(66)$ MeV/fm for $u$ and $d$ quarks, respectively. The error estimates quoted include statistical and systematic uncertainties added in quadrature.