Axial, Scalar and Tensor Charges of the Nucleon from 2+1+1-flavor Lattice QCD

TL;DR

This paper reports high-precision lattice QCD calculations of nucleon axial, scalar, and tensor charges, providing essential inputs for testing the Standard Model and probing new physics at high energies.

Contribution

The study presents the first comprehensive lattice QCD determination of nucleon charges with controlled systematic uncertainties across multiple lattice spacings and quark masses.

Findings

Precise values for isovector charges $g_A^{u-d}$, $g_S^{u-d}$, $g_T^{u-d}$ at 2 GeV.

Estimates of flavor-diagonal tensor charges $g_T^{u}$, $g_T^{d}$, $g_T^{s}$.

Updated constraints on scalar and tensor interactions at the TeV scale.

Abstract

We present results for the isovector axial, scalar and tensor charges $g^{u-d}_A$, $g^{u-d}_S$ and $g^{u-d}_T$ of the nucleon needed to probe the Standard Model and novel physics. The axial charge is a fundamental parameter describing the weak interactions of nucleons. The scalar and tensor charges probe novel interactions at the TeV scale in neutron and nuclear $\beta$-decays, and the flavor-diagonal tensor charges $g^{u}_T$, $g^{d}_T$ and $g^{s}_T$ are needed to quantify the contribution of the quark electric dipole moment (EDM) to the neutron EDM. The 9 ensembles, generated by the MILC Collaboration using the HISQ action with 2+1+1 dynamical flavors, span three lattice spacings $a \approx 0.06, 0.09$ and 0.12 fm and light-quark masses corresponding to the pion masses $M_\pi \approx 135, 225$ and 315 MeV. High-statistics estimates on five ensembles using the all-mode-averaging method allow us to quantify all systematic uncertainties and perform a simultaneous extrapolation in the lattice spacing, lattice volume and light-quark masses for the connected contributions. Our final estimates, in the $\overline{\text{MS}}$ scheme at 2 GeV, of the isovector charges are $g_A^{u-d} = 1.195(33)(20)$, $g_S^{u-d} = 0.97(12)(6) $ and $g_T^{u-d} = 0.987(51)(20)$. The first error includes statistical and all systematic uncertainties except that due to the extrapolation Ansatz, which is given by the second error estimate. Combining our estimate for $g_S^{u-d}$ with the difference of light quarks masses $(m_d-m_u)^{\rm QCD}=2.67(35)$ MeV given by FLAG, we obtain $(M_N-M_P)^{\rm QCD} = 2.59(49)$ MeV. Estimates of the connected part of the flavor-diagonal tensor charges of the proton are $g^{u}_T=0.792(42)$ and $g^{d}_T=-0.194(14)$. Combining our new estimates with precision low-energy experiments, we update constraints on novel scalar and tensor interactions, $\epsilon_{S,T}$, at the TeV scale.