Status of Average-x from Lattice QCD

As algorithms and computing power have advanced, lattice QCD has become a precision technique for many QCD observables. However, the calculation of nucleon matrix elements remains an open challenge. I summarize the status of the lattice effort by examining one observable that has come to represent this challenge, average-x: the fraction of the nucleon's momentum carried by its quark constituents. Recent results confirm a long standing tendency to overshoot the experimentally measured value. Understanding this puzzle is essential to not only the lattice calculation of nucleon properties but also the broader effort to determine hadron structure from QCD.Comment: proceedings for 3rd International Workshop on Nucleon Structure at Large Bjorken

Understanding Parton Distributions from Lattice QCD

I examine the past lattice QCD calculations of three representative observables, the transverse quark distribution, momentum fraction, and axial charge, and emphasize the prospects for not only quantitative comparison with experiment but also qualitative understanding of QCD.Comment: Talk presented at 13th International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS 2005), Madison, Wisconsin, April 27 - May 1, 200

Leading-order hadronic contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon from N_f=2+1+1 twisted mass fermions

We present results for the leading order QCD correction to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon including the first two generations of quarks as dynamical degrees of freedom. Several light quark masses are examined in order to yield a controlled extrapolation to the physical pion mass. We analyse ensembles for three different lattice spacings and several volumes in order to investigate lattice artefacts and finite-size effects, respectively. We also provide preliminary results for this quantity for two flavours of mass-degenerate quarks at the physical value of the pion mass.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, presented at the 31st International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2013), 29 July - 3 August 2013, Mainz, German

Four-Flavour Leading-Order Hadronic Contribution To The Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

We present a four-flavour lattice calculation of the leading-order hadronic vacuum polarisation contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, $a_\mathrm{\mu}^{\rm hvp}$, arising from quark-connected Feynman graphs. It is based on ensembles featuring $N_f=2+1+1$ dynamical twisted mass fermions generated by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC). Several light quark masses are used in order to yield a controlled extrapolation to the physical pion mass. We employ three lattice spacings to examine lattice artefacts and several different volumes to check for finite-size effects. Incorporating the complete first two generations of quarks allows for a direct comparison with phenomenological determinations of $a_\mathrm{\mu}^{\rm hvp}$. Our final result including an estimate of the systematic uncertainty $$a_{\mathrm{\mu}}^{\rm hvp} = 6.74(21)(18) \cdot 10^{-8}$$ shows a good overall agreement with these computations.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in JHE

Factors affecting public acceptance of flood insurance in Larimer and Weld Counties, Colorado

Submitted to the Water Resources Planning Fellowship, Steering Committee ... in fulfillment of requirements for a special study project in planning.Bibliography: page [48]

Excited State Effects in Nucleon Matrix Element Calculations

We perform a high-statistics precision calculation of nucleon matrix elements using an open sink method allowing us to explore a wide range of sink-source time separations. In this way the influence of excited states of nucleon matrix elements can be studied. As particular examples we present results for the nucleon axial charge $g_A$ and for the first moment of the isovector unpolarized parton distribution $_{u-d}$. In addition, we report on preliminary results using the generalized eigenvalue method for nucleon matrix elements. All calculations are performed using $N_f=2+1+1$ maximally twisted mass Wilson fermions.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Talk given at the XXIX International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory - Lattice 2011, Lake Tahoe, California, US

Nonperturbative QCD corrections to electroweak observables

Nonperturbative QCD corrections are important to many low-energy electroweak observables, for example the muon magnetic moment. However, hadronic corrections also play a significant role at much higher energies due to their impact on the running of standard model parameters, such as the electromagnetic coupling. Currently, these hadronic contributions are accounted for by a combination of experimental measurements and phenomenological modeling but ideally should be calculated from first principles. Recent developments indicate that many of the most important hadronic corrections may be feasibly calculated using lattice QCD methods. To illustrate this, we will examine the lattice computation of the leading-order QCD corrections to the muon magnetic moment, paying particular attention to a recently developed method but also reviewing the results from other calculations. We will then continue with several examples that demonstrate the potential impact of the new approach: the leading-order corrections to the electron and tau magnetic moments, the running of the electromagnetic coupling, and a class of the next-to-leading-order corrections for the muon magnetic moment. Along the way, we will mention applications to the Adler function, the determination of the strong coupling constant and QCD corrections to muonic-hydrogen