English

Constraints on spin-dependent parton distributions at large x from global QCD analysis

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2015-06-19 v1 High Energy Physics - Experiment Nuclear Theory

Abstract

We investigate the behavior of spin-dependent parton distribution functions (PDFs) at large parton momentum fractions x in the context of global QCD analysis. We explore the constraints from existing deep-inelastic scattering data, and from theoretical expectations for the leading x -> 1 behavior based on hard gluon exchange in perturbative QCD. Systematic uncertainties from the dependence of the PDFs on the choice of parametrization are studied by considering functional forms motivated by orbital angular momentum arguments. Finally, we quantify the reduction in the PDF uncertainties that may be expected from future high-x data from Jefferson Lab at 12 GeV.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1403.3355,
  title  = {Constraints on spin-dependent parton distributions at large x from global QCD analysis},
  author = {P. Jimenez-Delgado and H. Avakian and W. Melnitchouk},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1403.3355},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

14 pages, 3 figures, 1 table