Transverse spin structure of the nucleon from lattice QCD simulations

Abstract

We present the first calculation in lattice QCD of the lowest two moments of transverse spin densities of quarks in the nucleon. They encode correlations between quark spin and orbital angular momentum. Our dynamical simulations are based on two flavors of clover-improved Wilson fermions and Wilson gluons. We find significant contributions from certain quark helicity flip generalized parton distributions, leading to strongly distorted densities of transversely polarized quarks in the nucleon. In particular, based on our results and recent arguments by Burkardt [ Phys. Rev. D 72 094020 (2005)], we predict that the Boer-Mulders function h₁(super)⊥, describing correlations of transverse quark spin and intrinsic transverse momentum of quarks, is large and negative for both up and down quarks.