Parton distributions from lattice QCD

We extract the x dependence of the nonsinglet u-d distribution function in the nucleon from the lowest few moments calculated on the lattice, using an extrapolation formula which ensures the correct behavior in the chiral and heavy quark limits. We discuss the implications for the quark mass dependence of meson masses lying on the J(PC)=1(--) Regge trajectory.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, minor changes made for publicatio

Connecting structure functions on the lattice with phenomenology

We examine the extraction of moments of parton distributions from lattice data, focusing in particular on the chiral extrapolation as a function of the quark mass. Inclusion of the correct chiral behavior of the spin-averaged isovector distribution resolves a long-standing discrepancy between the lattice moments and experiment. We extract the x-dependence of the valence u-d distribution from the lowest few lattice moments, and discuss the implications for the quark mass dependence of meson masses lying on the rho Regge trajectory. The role of chiral symmetry in spin-dependent distributions, and in particular the lattice axial vector charge, g_A, is also highlighted.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, plenary talk given by W. Melnitchouk at the 3rd Circum-Pan-Pacific Symposium on High Energy Spin Physics (Beijing, China, October 2001), to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Neutron Structure Functions From Nuclear Data

The spin-averaged structure function of the neutron, F_2^n, is extracted from recent deuteron data, taking into account the small but significant corrections due to nuclear effects in the deuteron. At small x, the F_2D/F_2p ratio measured by the New Muon and Fermilab E665 Collaborations is interpreted to suggest a small amount of shadowing in deuterium, which acts to enhance F_2^n for x < 0.1. A careful treatment of Fermi motion, binding and nucleon off-shell effects in the deuteron also indicates that the neutron/proton structure function ratio as x -> 1 is consistent with the perturbative QCD expectation of 3/7, but larger than the traditional value of 1/4.Comment: 16 pages RevTeX, 5 postscript figures, presented at 2nd. Cracow Epiphany Conference on Proton Structure, Jan. 199

Deep inelastic scattering from light nuclei

We review recent developments in the study of deep inelastic scattering from light nuclei, focusing in particular on deuterium, helium, and lithium. Understanding the nuclear effects in these systems is essential for the extraction of information on the neutron structure function.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures; talk given by W. Melnitchouk at the Workshop on Testing QCD through Spin Observables in Nuclear Targets, University of Virginia, April 200

Equivalence of pion loops in equal-time and light-front dynamics

We demonstrate the equivalence of the light-front and equal-time formulations of pionic corrections to nucleon properties. As a specific example, we consider the self-energy of a nucleon dressed by pion loops, for both pseudovector and pseudoscalar pion-nucleon couplings. We derive the leading and next-to-leading nonanalytic behavior of the self-energy on the light-front, and show explicitly their equivalence in the rest frame and infinite momentum frame in equal-time quantization, as well as in a manifestly covariant formulation.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures; typos corrected in Eqs. (A5), (A6), (A8