Quantum Chromodynamics and Parton Distribution Phenomena
Summary
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the fundamental non-Abelian gauge theory describing the interactions of quarks and gluons under the strong force. Central to understanding the internal structure of hadrons is the concept of parton distribution phenomena, which quantifies how momentum and spin are shared among constituent quarks and gluons (partons) at different resolution scales. At high momentum transfer, perturbative techniques exploit asymptotic freedom to separate short-distance dynamics—amenable to fixed-order calculations—from long-distance structure encapsulated in universal parton distribution functions (PDFs). Extensions of the PDF framework, notably transverse momentum distributions (TMDs) and generalised parton distributions (GPDs), enrich this picture by providing information on intrinsic transverse motion and spatial distributions of partons. Non-perturbative methods, particularly lattice QCD, now yield first-principles determinations of moments and form factors that underpin modern global analyses. Together, theoretical advances in factorisation theorems, high-order perturbative calculations and lattice techniques are driving precision studies of hadron structure, with broad implications for collider phenomenology, the physics programme of the Electron-Ion Collider and our understanding of the strong interaction in both terrestrial and astrophysical environments.
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Quantum Chromodynamics and Parton Distribution Phenomena publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in quantum chromodynamics and parton distribution phenomena across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD): The non-Abelian gauge theory of the strong interaction, governing quark and gluon dynamics.
Parton Distribution Function (PDF): A probability density describing the longitudinal momentum fraction carried by quarks or gluons inside a fast-moving hadron at a given scale.
Transverse Momentum Distribution (TMD): A generalisation of PDFs that includes the dependence of parton distributions on transverse momentum relative to the hadron’s direction.
Generalised Parton Distribution (GPD): A function encoding both longitudinal momentum and transverse spatial information of partons, accessible in hard exclusive processes.
Lattice QCD: A non-perturbative numerical framework that discretises space-time to compute hadronic observables from first principles.
References
- disorder: Deep inelastic scattering at high orders. SciPost Physics Codebases (2024).
- Gravitational Form Factors of the Proton from Lattice QCD. Physical Review Letters (2024).
- Extraction of partonic transverse momentum distributions from semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering, Drell-Yan and Z-boson production. Journal of High Energy Physics (2017).
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