Quantum-mechanical picture of peripheral chiral dynamics

TL;DR

This paper models the peripheral transverse charge and magnetization densities of nucleons using chiral effective field theory, highlighting relativistic effects and potential experimental observability.

Contribution

It introduces a first-quantized, wave-function-based approach to describe nucleon densities in chiral dynamics, emphasizing relativistic effects.

Findings

Large left-right asymmetry in polarized nucleons due to pion orbital motion

Relativistic nature of chiral dynamics evidenced by pion momenta

Potential observation in low-momentum transfer form factor measurements

Abstract

The nucleon's peripheral transverse charge and magnetization densities are computed in chiral effective field theory. The densities are represented in first-quantized form, as overlap integrals of chiral light-front wave functions describing the transition of the nucleon to soft pion-nucleon intermediate states. The orbital motion of the pion causes a large left-right asymmetry in a transversely polarized nucleon. The effect attests to the relativistic nature of chiral dynamics [pion momenta k = O(M_pi)] and could be observed in form factor measurements at low momentum transfer.