Key features of the TMD soft-factor structure

We show that the geometry of the Wilson lines, entering the operator definition of the transverse-momentum dependent parton distributions and that of the soft factor, follows from the kinematics of the underlying physical process in conjunction with the gauge invariance of the QCD Lagrangian. We demonstrate our method in terms of concrete examples and determine the paths of the associated Wilson lines. The validation of the factorization theorem in our approach is postponed to future work.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. Invited contribution presented by the first author at the Lightcone 2013+ Conference, Skiathos, Greece, 20-24 May, 2013. Matches version to appear in Few Body System

Tagging the pion quark structure in QCD

We combine the constraints on the pion quark structure available from perturbative QCD, nonperturbative QCD (nonlocal QCD sum rules and light cone sum rules) with the analysis of current data on F_{\pi\gamma\gamma^*}(Q^2), including recent high-precision lattice calculations of the second moment of the pion's distribution amplitude. We supplement these constraints with those extracted from the renormalon approach by means of the twist-four contributions to the pion distribution amplitude in order to further increase stability with respect to related theoretical uncertainties. We show which regions in the space of the first two non-trivial Gegenbauer coefficients a_2 and a_4 of all these constraints overlap, tagging this way the pion structure to the highest degree possible at present.Comment: V1: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. V2: Two references added with corresponding insertions in the text. Matches version published in PR

Polarized and unpolarized μ\mu-pair meson-induced Drell--Yan production and the pion distribution amplitude

We present a detailed analysis of meson-induced massive lepton (muon) Drell--Yan production for the process $\pi^{-}N\to\mu^{+}\mu^{-}X$, considering both an unpolarized nucleon target and longitudinally polarized protons. Using a QCD framework, we focus on the angular distribution of $\mu^+$, which is sensitive to the shape of the pion distribution amplitude, the goal being to test corresponding results against available experimental data. Predictions are made, employing various pion distribution amplitudes, for the azimuthal angle dependence of the $\mu^{+}$ distribution in the polarized case, relevant for the planned COMPASS experiment. QCD evolution is given particular attention in both considered cases.Comment: V1: 18 pages, 10 figures (48 eps files), 2 tables. V2: one wrong reference removed, missing reference in text inserted; matches version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Improved estimates of the pion-photon transition form factor in the (1≤Q2≤5)(\mathbf{1\leq Q^2\leq5})~GeV2^\mathbf{2} range and their theoretical uncertainties

We consider the pion-photon transition form factor at low to intermediate spacelike momenta within the theoretical framework of light-cone sum rules. We derive predictions which take into account all currently known contributions stemming from QCD perturbation theory up to the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) and by including all twist terms up to order six. In order to enable a more detailed comparison with forthcoming high-precision data, we also estimate the main systematic theoretical uncertainties, stemming from various sources, and discuss their influence on the calculations --- in particular the dominant one related to the still uncalculated part of the NNLO contribution. The analysis addresses, in broad terms, also the role of the twist-two pion distribution amplitude derived with different approaches.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Based on the talk given at the XIIth International Conference "Quark Confinement and the Hadronic Spectrum" (Thessaloniki, Greece, 28 August - 4 September 2016

Spin microscopy with enhanced Wilson lines in the TMD parton densities

We discuss the possibility of non-minimal gauge invariance of transverse-momentum-dependent parton densities (TMDs) that allows direct access to the spin degrees of freedom of fermion fields entering the operator definition of (quark) TMDs. This is achieved via enhanced Wilson lines that are supplied with the spin-dependent Pauli term $\sim F^{\mu\nu}[\gamma_\mu, \gamma_\nu]$, thus providing an appropriate tool for the "microscopic" investigation of the spin and color structure of TMDs. We show that this generalization leaves the leading-twist TMD properties unchanged but modifies those of twist three by contributing to their anomalous dimensions. We also comment on Collins' recent criticism of our approach.Comment: 4 pages. Presented at the XIV Workshop on High Energy Spin Physics, 20-24 Sept 2011, Dubna, Russi