Iso-vector and Iso-scalar Tensor Charges of the Nucleon from Lattice QCD

TL;DR

This paper reports lattice QCD calculations of nucleon tensor charges, providing key inputs for probing new physics in neutron and nuclear beta decays and estimating contributions to the neutron EDM with quantified uncertainties.

Contribution

First lattice QCD determination of iso-vector and flavor-diagonal nucleon tensor charges with systematic error analysis and inclusion of disconnected contributions.

Findings

Iso-vector tensor charge: g_T^{u-d} = 1.020(76)

Flavor-diagonal charges: g_T^{u} = 0.774(66), g_T^{d} = -0.233(28), g_T^{s} = 0.008(9)

Disconnected contributions are smaller than statistical errors.

Abstract

We present results for the iso-vector and flavor diagonal tensor charges $g^{u-d}_T$, $g^{u}_T$, $g^{d}_T$, and $g^{s}_T$ needed to probe novel tensor interactions at the TeV scale in neutron and nuclear $\beta$-decays and the contribution of the quark electric dipole moment (EDM) to the neutron EDM. The lattice QCD calculations were done using nine ensembles of gauge configurations generated by the MILC collaboration using the HISQ action with 2+1+1 dynamical flavors. These ensembles span three lattice spacings $a \approx 0.06, 0.09$ and $0.12 $ fm and three quark masses corresponding to the pion masses $M_\pi \approx 130, 220$ and $310 $ MeV. Using estimates from these ensembles, we quantify all systematic uncertainties and perform a simultaneous extrapolation in the lattice spacing, volume and light quark masses for the connected contributions. The final estimates of the connected nucleon (proton) tensor charge for the iso-vector combination is $g_T^{u-d} = 1.020(76) $ in the $\bar{\text{MS}}$ scheme at $2$ GeV. The additional disconnected quark loop contributions needed for the flavor-diagonal matrix elements are calculated using a stochastic estimator employing the truncated solver method with the all-mode-averaging technique. We find that the size of the disconnected contribution is smaller than the statistical error in the connected contribution. This allows us to bound the disconnected contribution and include it as an additional uncertainty in the flavor-diagonal charges. After a continuum extrapolation, we find $g_T^{u} = 0.774(66) $, $g_T^{d} = -0.233(28) $ and $g_T^{u+d} = 0.541(67) $. The strangeness tensor charge, that can make a significant contribution to the neutron EDM due to the large ratio $m_s/m_{u,d}$, is $g_T^{s}=0.008(9)$ in the continuum limit.