English

Nucleon 3D intrinsic spin structure from the weak-neutral axial-vector form factors

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2025-12-09 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory Nuclear Theory

Abstract

Relativistic 3D weak-neutral axial-vector four-current and spin distributions inside a nucleon (or a general spin-12\frac{1}{2} hadron) including three weak-neutral axial-vector form factors are investigated for the first time. We clarify that the relativistic 3D axial charge distribution in the Breit frame is completely described by the induced pseudotensor form factor GTZ(Q2)G_T^Z(Q^2) rather than by the axial form factor GAZ(Q2)G_A^Z(Q^2). We demonstrate that RA6GAZ(0)dGAZ(Q2)dQ2Q2=0R_A \equiv \sqrt{ \frac{-6}{G_A^Z(0) }\frac{\text{d} G_A^Z(Q^2) }{\text{d} Q^2} \Big|_{Q^2=0} } can not be interpreted as the physically meaningful 3D root-mean-square axial radius of a spin-12\frac{1}{2} hadron. The genuine axial radius for any spin-12\frac{1}{2} hadron in fact does not exist. We also show that the relativistic 3D weak-neutral spin radius rspin=rspin2r_\text{spin} = \sqrt{\langle r_\text{spin}^2 \rangle}, with rspin2RA2+14M2[1+2GPZ(0)GAZ(0)]\langle r_\text{spin}^2 \rangle \equiv R_A^2 + \frac{ 1 }{ 4M^2 }\left[ 1 + \frac{ 2 G_P^Z(0) }{ G_A^Z(0) } \right] based on the relativistic and intrinsic 3D weak-neutral spin distribution in the Breit frame, is a physically meaningful radius that can be unambiguously defined for the nucleon, which provides an additional key motivation for the further determination of the induced pseudoscalar form factor GPZ(Q2)G_P^Z(Q^2). Numerically, we find that RA0.6510 fmR_A \approx 0.6510~\text{fm}, rspin2.1054 fmr_\text{spin} \approx 2.1054~\text{fm} and rspinrspin/30.7018 fm\overline r_\text{spin} \equiv r_\text{spin}/3 \approx 0.7018~\text{fm}. For future experimental measurements of GAZ(Q2)G_A^Z(Q^2) and GTZ(Q2)G_T^Z(Q^2), we also derive the full tree-level unpolarized differential cross sections for neutrino-proton and antineutrino-proton elastic scattering in the lab frame, in hoping to provide a complementary and new perspective to unveil the nucleon spin structure by using (anti)neutrino-based facilities.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2512.06801,
  title  = {Nucleon 3D intrinsic spin structure from the weak-neutral axial-vector form factors},
  author = {Yi Chen},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.06801},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

6 pages, 1 figure; to appear in PoS(SPIN2025)099; DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.517.0099

R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:13:37.375Z