Polarised parton distribution functions and proton spin

Abstract

Supposing there exists an effective charge which defines an evolution scheme for both unpolarised and polarised parton distribution functions (DFs) that is all-orders exact and using Ans\"atze for hadron-scale proton polarised valence quark DFs, constrained by flavour-separated axial charges and insights from perturbative quantum chromodynamics, predictions are delivered for all proton polarised DFs at the scale $\zeta_{\rm C}^2 = 3\,$GeV$^2$. The pointwise behaviour of the predicted DFs and, consequently, their moments, compare favourably with results inferred from data. Notably, flavour-separated singlet polarised DFs are small. On the other hand, the polarised gluon DF, $\Delta G(x;\zeta_{\rm C})$, is large and positive. Using our result, we predict $\int_{0.05}^1\,dx\,\Delta G(x;\zeta_{\rm C}) = 0.214(4)$ and that experimental measurements of the proton flavour-singlet axial charge should return $a_0^{\rm E}(\zeta_{\rm C}) = 0.35(2)$.