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It has been recently demonstrated that lightcone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) for a heavy meson, defined in the heavy quark limit, can be extracted by simulating quasi-distribution amplitudes on the lattice with a large meson momentum $P^z$. This extraction involves a two-step procedure. In the first-step, the quasi-distribution amplitudes are matched onto the QCD LCDAs in the large $P^z$ limit. In the second step, the QCD LCDAs are matched onto the desired LCDAs defined in HQET. In this work, we present the $m_H^{2n}/(P^z)^{2n}$ and $\Lambda_\text{QCD}^2/(P^z)^2$ corrections in the first step with $m_H$ being the heavy meson mass. To account for $m_H^{2n}/(P^z)^{2n}$ corrections, we employ two methods: the moment relation that can provide mass corrections to all orders, and a leading-twist projector that gives the leading-order mass corrections. For the $\Lambda_\text{QCD}^2/(P^z)^2$ corrections, we employ a renormalon model that addresses the renormalon ambiguity stemming from the divergence of the perturbative series. We adopt two parametrizations for QCD LCDAs to conduct a numerical analysis. The results suggest that these corrections are typically smaller than 20\% in most regions, and should be included in a precision analysis. These findings will serve as a valuable guide for future studies on heavy meson LCDAs, particularly in the context of Lattice QCD, where accounting for such corrections is crucial for improving the accuracy and reliability of the results., Comment: 12 pages,7 figures

We report a lattice QCD calculation of the parton distribution function (PDF) of a deuteron-like dibaryon system using large-momentum effective theory. The calculation is done on three Wilson Clover ensembles with a fixed lattice spacing a=0.105 fm and two pion masses. The lattice matrix elements are computed at proton momenta up to 2.46 GeV with the signal of high momentum modes being improved by applying the momentum smearing technique. The state-of-the-art renormalization, matching and extrapolation are then applied to obtain the final result of the light-cone PDF. A comparison between the result of the dibaryon system and the sum of the proton and neutron PDFs is also given.

We analyze the gauge fixing precision dependence of some non-local quark-blinear lattice operators interesting in computing parton physics for several measurements, using 5 lattice spacings ranging from 0.032 fm to 0.121 fm. Our results show that gauge dependent non-local measurements are significantly more sensitive to the precision of gauge fixing than anticipated. The impact of imprecise gauge fixing is significant for fine lattices and long distances. For instance, even with the typically defined precision of Landau gauge fixing of $10^{-8}$, the deviation caused by imprecise gauge fixing can reach 12 percent, when calculating the trace of Wilson lines at 1.2 fm with a lattice spacing of approximately 0.03 fm. Similar behavior has been observed in $\xi$ gauge and Coulomb gauge as well. For both quasi PDFs and quasi TMD-PDFs operators renormalized using the RI/MOM scheme, convergence for different lattice spacings at long distance is only observed when the precision of Landau gauge fixing is sufficiently high. To describe these findings quantitatively, we propose an empirical formula to estimate the required precision., Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures

We propose two approaches for extracting the total gluon helicity contribution to proton spin from lattice QCD, one from local operator matrix elements in a fixed gauge accessible on lattice with feasible renormalization, and the other from gauge-invariant nonlocal gluon correlators. Neither of these approaches requires a matching procedure when converted to the MS scheme. Our proposal resolves a long-standing inconsistency in the literature regarding lattice calculations of the total gluon helicity, and has the potential to greatly facilitate these calculations., Comment: 14 pages

We show that double parton distributions, which are important in describing double parton scattering processes in hadron collisions, can be directly computed from correlations of equal-time nonlocal Euclidean operators on the lattice in the large hadron momentum limit. We demonstrate this by taking the unpolarized color singlet quark double parton distribution as an example, and present a factorization formula connecting the corresponding lightcone and Euclidean correlations. This opens a new possibility of studying multiparton interactions on the Euclidean lattice., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, typos corrected

We present a first lattice QCD calculation of the transverse-momentum-dependent wave functions (TMDWFs) of the pion using large-momentum effective theory. Numerical simulations are based on one ensemble with 2+1+1 flavors of highly improved staggered quarks action with lattice spacing $a=0.121$~fm from the MILC Collaboration, and one with 2 +1 flavor clover fermions and tree-level Symanzik gauge action generated by the CLS Collaboration with $a=0.098$~fm. As a key ingredient, the soft function is first obtained by incorporating the one-loop perturbative contributions and a proper normalization. Based on this and the equal-time quasi-TMDWFs simulated on the lattice, we extract the light-cone TMDWFs. The results are comparable between the two lattice ensembles and a comparison with phenomenological parametrization is made. Our studies provide a first attempt of $ab$ $initio$ calculation of TMDWFs which will eventually lead to crucial theory inputs for making predictions for exclusive processes under QCD factorization.

We present a unified framework for the perturbative factorization connecting Euclidean correlations to light-cone correlations. Starting from nonlocal quark and gluon bilinear correlators, we derive the relevant hard-matching kernel up to the next-to-leading-order, both for the flavor singlet and non-singlet combinations, in non-forward and forward kinematics, and in coordinate and momentum space. The results for the generalized distribution functions (GPDs), parton distribution functions (PDFs), and distribution amplitudes (DAs) are obtained by choosing appropriate kinematics. The renormalization and matching are done in a state-of-the-art scheme. We also clarify some issues raised on the perturbative matching of GPDs in the literature. Our results provide a complete manual for extracting all leading-twist GPDs, PDFs as well as DAs from lattice simulations of Euclidean correlations in a state-of-the-art strategy, either in coordinate or in momentum space factorization approach., Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, typos corrected, additional appendix added

We present a first lattice QCD calculation of the unpolarized nucleon's isovector transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs), which are essential to predict observables of multi-scale, semi-inclusive processes in the standard model. We use a $N_f=2+1+1$ MILC ensemble with valence clover fermions on a highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) sea to compute the quark momentum distributions in a large-momentum nucleon on the lattice. The state-of-the-art techniques in renormalization and extrapolation in the correlation distance on the lattice are adopted. {The perturbative kernel up to next-to-next-to-leading order is taken into account}, and the dependence on the pion mass and the hadron momentum is explored. Our results are qualitatively comparable with phenomenological TMDPDFs, which provide an opportunity to predict high energy scatterings from first principles., Comment: 16 pages, 20 figures

We demonstrate that gluon transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs) can be extracted from lattice calculations of appropriate Euclidean correlations in large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). Based on perturbative calculations of gluon unpolarized and helicity TMDPDFs, we present a matching formula connecting them and their LaMET counterparts, where the latter are renormalized in a scheme facilitating lattice calculations and converted to the $\overline{\rm MS}$ scheme. The hard matching kernel is given up to one-loop level. We also show that the perturbative result is independent of the prescription used for the pinch-pole singularity in the relevant correlations. Our results offer a guidance for the extraction of gluon TMDPDFs from lattice simulations, and have the potential to greatly facilitate perturbative calculations of the hard matching kernel., Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures. Corrected a few typos. Accepted for publication in JHEP

In the large-momentum expansion for parton distribution functions (PDFs), the natural physics scale is the longitudinal momentum ($p_z$) of the quarks (or gluons) in a large-momentum hadron. We show how to expose this scale dependence through resumming logarithms of the type $\ln^n p_z/\mu$ in the matching coefficient, where $\mu$ is a fixed renormalization scale. The result enhances the accuracy of the expansion at moderate $p_z>1$ GeV, and at the same time, clearly shows that the partons cannot be approximated from quarks with $p_z\sim \Lambda_{\rm QCD}$ which are not predominantly collinear with the parent hadron momentum, consistent with power counting of the large-momentum effective theory. The same physics mechanism constrains the coordinate space expansion at large distances $z$, the conjugate of $p_z$, as illustrated in the example of fitting the moments of the PDFs., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures

We report a state-of-the-art lattice QCD calculation of the isovector quark transversity distribution of the proton in the continuum and physical mass limit using large-momentum effective theory. The calculation is done at four lattice spacings $a=\{0.098,0.085,0.064,0.049\}$~fm and various pion masses ranging between $220$ and $350$ MeV, with proton momenta up to $2.8$ GeV. The result is non-perturbatively renormalized in the hybrid scheme with self renormalization which treats the infrared physics at large correlation distance properly, and extrapolated to the continuum, physical mass and infinite momentum limit. We also compare with recent global analyses for the nucleon isovector quark transversity distribution., Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables

To calculate the transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs) from lattice QCD, an important goal yet to be realized, it is crucial to establish a viable non-perturbative renormalization approach for linear divergences in the corresponding Euclidean quasi-TMDPDF correlators in large-momentum effective theory. We perform a first systematic study of the renormalization property of the quasi-TMDPDFs by calculating the relevant matrix elements in a pion state at 5 lattice spacings ranging from 0.03 fm to 0.12 fm. We demonstrate that the square root of the Wilson loop combined with the short distance hadron matrix element provides a successful method to remove all ultraviolet divergences of the quasi-TMD operator, and thus provide the necessary justification to perform a continuum limit calculation of TMDPDFs. In contrast, the popular RI/MOM renormalization scheme fails to eliminate all linear divergences., Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures. accepted version with the TMD wave function case in the supplemental materials

In the framework of large-momentum effective theory at one-loop matching accuracy, we perform a lattice calculation of the Collins-Soper kernel which governs the rapidity evolution of transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) distributions. We first obtain the quasi TMD wave functions at three different meson momenta on a lattice with valence clover quarks on a dynamical HISQ sea and lattice spacing $a=0.12$~fm from MILC, and renormalize the pertinent linear divergences using Wilson loops. Through one-loop matching to the light-cone wave functions, we determine the Collins-Soper kernel with transverse separation up to 0.6~fm. We study the systematic uncertainties from operator mixing and scale dependence, as well as the impact from higher power corrections. Our results potentially allow for a determination of the soft function and other transverse-momentum dependent quantities at one-loop accuracy.

In this document, we summarize the status and challenges of calculating parton physics in lattice QCD for the US Particle Physics Community Planning Exercise (a.k.a. "Snowmass"). While PDF-moments calculations have been very successful and been continuously improved, new methods have been developed to calculate distributions directly in $x$-space. Many recent lattice studies have been focused on calculating isovector PDFs of the pion and nucleon, learning to control systematics associated with excited-state contamination, renormalization and continuum extrapolations, pion-mass and finite-volume effects, etc. Although in some cases, the lattice results are already competitive with experimental data, to reach the level of precision in a wide range of $x$ for unpolarized nucleon PDFs impactful for future collider physics remains a challenge, and may require exascale supercomputing power. The new theoretical methods open the door for calculating other partonic observables which will be the focus of the experimental program in nuclear physics, including generalized parton distributions and transverse-momentum dependent PDFs. A fruitful interplay between experimental data and lattice-QCD calculations will usher in a new era for parton physics and hadron structure., Comment: 14 pages

We present the state-of-the-art lattice QCD calculation of the pion and kaon light-cone distribution amplitudes (DAs) using large-momentum effective theory. The calculation is done at three lattice spacings $a\approx\{0.06,0.09,0.12\}$ fm and physical pion and kaon masses, with the meson momenta $P_z = \{1.29,1.72,2.15\}$ GeV. The result is non-perturbatively renormalized in a recently proposed hybrid scheme with self renormalization, and extrapolated to the continuum as well as the infinite momentum limit. We find a significant deviation of the pion and kaon DAs from the asymptotic form, and a large $SU(3)$ flavor breaking effect in the kaon DA., Comment: 11 pages,18 figures

Transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions and wave functions (TMDPDFs/TMDWFs) can be extracted from lattice calculations of appropriate Euclidean matrix elements of staple-shaped Wilson line operators. We investigate the mixing pattern of such operators under lattice renormalization using symmetry considerations. We perform an analysis for operators with all Dirac structures, which reveals mixings that are not present in one-loop lattice perturbation theory calculations. We also present the relevant one-loop matching in a renormalization scheme that does not introduce extra non-perturbative effects at large distances, both for the TMDPDFs and for the TMDWFs. Our results have the potential to greatly facilitate numerical calculations of TMDPDFs and TMDWFs on the lattice., Comment: 8 pages, version published in Phys. Rev. D

In applying large-momentum effective theory, renormalization of the Euclidean correlators in lattice regularization is a challenge due to linear divergences in the self-energy of Wilson lines. Based on lattice QCD matrix elements of the quasi-PDF operator at lattice spacing $a$= 0.03 fm $\sim$ 0.12 fm with clover and overlap valence quarks on staggered and domain-wall sea, we design a strategy to disentangle the divergent renormalization factors from finite physics matrix elements, which can be matched to a continuum scheme at short distance such as dimensional regularization and minimal subtraction. Our results indicate that the renormalization factors are universal in the hadron state matrix elements. Moreover, the physical matrix elements appear independent of the valence fermion formulations. These conclusions remain valid even with HYP smearing which reduces the statistical errors albeit reducing control of the renormalization procedure. Moreover, we find a large non-perturbative effect in the popular RI/MOM and ratio renormalization scheme, suggesting favor of the hybrid renormalization procedure proposed recently., Comment: 29 pages, 30 figures

We present the first lattice QCD calculation of the distribution amplitudes of longitudinally and transversely polarized vector mesons $K^*$ and $\phi$ using large momentum effective theory. We use the clover fermion action on three ensembles with 2+1+1 flavors of highly improved staggered quarks (HISQ) action, generated by MILC collaboration, at physical pion mass and \{0.06, 0.09, 0.12\} fm lattice spacings, and choose three different hadron momenta $P_z=\{1.29, 1.72, 2.15\}$ GeV. The resulting lattice matrix elements are nonperturbatively renormalized in a hybrid scheme proposed recently. An extrapolation to the continuum and infinite momentum limit is carried out. We find that while the longitudinal distribution amplitudes tend to be close to the asymptotic form, the transverse ones deviate rather significantly from the asymptotic form. Our final results provide crucial {\it ab initio} theory inputs for analyzing pertinent exclusive processes., Comment: 6+3 pages; 5 + 6 figures; v2: 7+6 pages, expanded discussions

In large-momentum effective theory (LaMET), calculating parton physics starts from calculating coordinate-space-$z$ correlation functions $\tilde h(z, a,P^z)$ in a hadron of momentum $P^z$ in lattice QCD. Such correlation functions involve both linear and logarithmic divergences in lattice spacing $a$, and thus need to be properly renormalized. We introduce a hybrid renormalization procedure to match these lattice correlations to those in the continuum $\overline{\rm MS}$ scheme, without introducing extra non-perturbative effects at large $z$. We analyze the effect of ${\cal O}(\Lambda_{\rm QCD})$ ambiguity in the Wilson line self-energy subtraction involved in this hybrid scheme. To obtain the momentum-space distributions, we recommend to extrapolate the lattice data to the asymptotic $z$-region using the generic properties of the coordinate space correlations at moderate and large $P^z$, respectively., Comment: Text revised, version to appear in NPB

The strong force which binds hadrons is described by the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Determining the character and manifestations of QCD is one of the most important and challenging outstanding issues necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the structure of hadrons. Within the context of the QCD parton picture, the Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs) have been remarkably successful in describing a wide variety of processes. However, these PDFs have generally been confined to the description of collinear partons within the hadron. New experiments and facilities provide the opportunity to additionally explore the transverse structure of hadrons which is described by Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) and Transverse Momentum Dependent Parton Distribution Functions (TMD PDFs). In our previous review, we compared and contrasted the two main approaches used to determine the collinear PDFs: the first based on perturbative QCD factorization theorems, and the second based on lattice QCD calculations. In the present report, we provide an update of recent progress on the collinear PDFs, and also expand the scope to encompass the generalized PDFs (GPDs and TMD PDFs). We review the current state of the various calculations, and consider what new data might be available in the near future. We also examine how a shared effort can foster dialog between the PDF and Lattice QCD communities, and yield improvements for these generalized PDFs., Comment: 2020 PDFLattice Report, 64 pages, 34 figures

Since the parton model was introduced by Feynman more than fifty years ago, we have learned much about the partonic structure of the proton through a large body of high-energy experimental data and dedicated global fits. However, calculating the partonic observables such as parton distribution function (PDFs) from the fundamental theory of strong interactions, QCD, has made limited progress. Recently, the authors have advocated a formalism, large-momentum effective theory (LaMET), through which one can extract parton physics from the properties of the proton travelling at a moderate boost-factor, e.g., $\gamma\sim (2-5)$. The key observation behind this approach is that Lorentz symmetry allows the standard formalism of partons in terms of light-front operators to be replaced by an equivalent one with large-momentum states and time-independent operators of a universality class. With LaMET, the PDFs, generalized PDFs or GPDs, transverse-momentum-dependent PDFs, and light-front wave functions can all be extracted in principle from lattice simulations of QCD (or other non-perturbative methods) through standard effective field theory matching and running. Future lattice QCD calculations with exa-scale computational facilities can help to understand the experimental data related to the hadronic structure, including those from the upcoming Electron-Ion Colliders dedicated to exploring the partonic landscape of the proton. Here we review the progress made in the past few years in development of the LaMET formalism and its applications, particularly on the demonstration of its effectiveness from initial lattice QCD simulations., Comment: 75 pages, 23 figures

We present the first lattice-QCD calculation of the kaon valence-quark distribution functions using the large-momentum effective theory (LaMET) approach. The calculation is performed with multiple pion masses with the lightest one around 220 MeV, 2 lattice spacings $a=0.06$ and 0.12 fm, $(M_\pi)_\text{min} L \approx 5.5$, and high statistics ranging from 11,600 to 61,312 measurements. We also calculate the valence-quark distribution of pion and find it to be consistent with the FNAL E615 experimental results, and our ratio of the $u$ quark PDF in the kaon to that in the pion agrees with the CERN NA3 experiment. We also make predictions of the strange-quark distribution of the kaon.

We present the first lattice calculation of the valence-quark generalized parton distribution (GPD) of the pion using the large-momentum effective theory (LaMET) approach. We focus on the zero-skewness limit, where the GPD has a probability-density interpretation in the longitudinal Bjorken $x$ and the transverse impact-parameter distributions. Our calculation is done using clover valence fermions on an ensemble of gauge configurations with $2+1+1$ flavors (degenerate up/down, strange and charm) of highly improved staggered quarks (HISQ) with lattice spacing $a \approx 0.12$ fm, box size $L \approx 3$ fm and pion mass $m_\pi \approx 310$ MeV. The parton distribution function and the form factor are reproduced as special limits of the GPD as expected. Due to the large errors, this exploratory study does not show a clear preference among different model assumptions about the kinematic dependence of the GPD. To discriminate between these assumptions, future studies using higher-statistics data will be crucial., Comment: Version published in Nucl. Phys. B

We complete the procedure of extracting parton distribution functions (PDFs) using large momentum effective theory (LaMET) at leading power accuracy in the hadron momentum. We derive a general factorization formula for the quasi PDFs in the presence of mixing, and give the corresponding hard matching kernel at $\mathcal O(\alpha_s)$, both for the unpolarized and for the polarized quark and gluon quasi-PDFs. Our calculation is performed in a regularization-independent momentum subtraction scheme. The results allow us to match the nonperturbatively renormalized quasi-PDFs to normal PDFs in the presence of mixing, and therefore can be used to extract flavor-singlet quark PDFs as well as gluon PDFs from lattice simulations., Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures. Errors in Eq. (90) are corrected

Within the framework of large momentum effective theory (LaMET), genenaralized parton distributions (GPDs) can be extracted from lattice calculations of quasi-GPDs through a perturbative matching relation, up to power corrections that are suppressed by the hadron momentum. In this paper, we focus on isovector quark GPDs, including the unpolarized, longitudinally and transversely polarized cases, and present the one-loop matching that connects the quasi-GPDs renormalized in a regularization-independent momentum subtraction (RI/MOM) scheme to the GPDs in MS scheme. We find that the matching coefficient is independent of the momentum transfer squared. As a consequence, the matching for the quasi-GPD with zero skewness is the same as that for the quasi-PDF. Our results provide a crucial input for the determination of quark GPDs from lattice QCD using LaMET., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures

We report a state-of-the-art lattice calculation of the isovector quark transversity distribution of the proton at the physical pion mass. Within the framework of large-momentum effective theory (LaMET), we compute the transversity quasi-distributions using clover valence fermions on 2+1+1-flavor (up/down, strange, charm) HISQ-lattice configurations with boosted proton momenta as large as 3.0~GeV. The relevant lattice matrix elements are nonperturbatively renormalized in regularization-independent momentum-subtraction (RI/MOM) scheme and systematically matched to the physical transversity distribution. With high statistics, large proton momenta and meticulous control of excited-state contamination, we provide the best theoretical prediction for the large-$x$ isovector quark transversity distribution, with better precision than the most recent global analyses of experimental data. Our result also shows that the sea quark asymmetry in the proton transversity distribution is consistent with zero, which has been assumed in all current global analyses., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

Gluon parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the proton can be calculated directly on Euclidean lattices using large momentum effective theory (LaMET). To realize this goal, one has to find renormalized gluon quasi-PDFs in which power divergences and operator mixing are thoroughly understood. For the unpolarized distribution, we identify four independent quasi-PDF correlators that can be multiplicatively renormalized on the lattice. Similarly, the helicity distribution can be derived from three independent multiplicatively renormalizable quasi-PDFs. We provide a LaMET factorization formula for these renormalized quasi-PDFs from which one can extract the gluon PDFs., Comment: 5 pages, version accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett

We present a state-of-the-art calculation of the isovector quark helicity Bjorken-$x$ distribution in the proton using lattice-QCD ensembles at the physical pion mass. We compute quasi-distributions at proton momenta $P_z \in \{2.2, 2.6, 3.0\}$~GeV on the lattice, and match them systematically to the physical parton distribution using large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). We reach an unprecedented precision through high statistics in simulations, large-momentum proton matrix elements, and control of excited-state contamination. The resulting distribution with combined statistical and systematic errors is in agreement with the latest phenomenological analysis of the spin-dependent experimental data; in particular, $\Delta \bar{u}(x)>\Delta \bar{d}(x)$., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Building upon our recent study arXiv:1709.04325, we investigate the feasibility of calculating the pion distribution amplitude from suitably chosen Euclidean correlation functions at large momentum. We demonstrate in this work the advantage of analyzing several correlation functions simultaneously and extracting the pion distribution amplitude from a global fit. This approach also allows us to study higher-twist corrections, which are a major source of systematic error. Our result for the higher-twist parameter $\delta^\pi_2$ is in good agreement with estimates from QCD sum rules. Another novel element is the use of all-to-all propagators, calculated using stochastic estimators, which enables an additional volume average of the correlation functions, thereby reducing statistical errors., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures

We present a detailed Lattice QCD study of the unpolarized isovector quark Parton Distribution Function (PDF) using large-momentum effective theory framework. We choose a quasi-PDF defined by a spatial correlator which is free from mixing with other operators of the same dimension. In the lattice simulation, we use a Gaussian-momentum-smeared source at $M_\pi=356$ MeV and $P_z \in \{1.8,2.3\}$ GeV. To control the systematics associated with the excited states, we explore {five different source-sink separations}. The nonperturbative renormalization is conducted in a regularization-independent momentum subtraction scheme, and the matching between the renormalized quasi-PDF and $\bar{\rm MS}$ PDF is calculated based on perturbative QCD up to one-loop order. Systematic errors due to renormalization and perturbative matching are also analyzed in detail. Our results for lightcone PDF are in reasonable agreement with the latest phenomenological analysis., Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures

We present the first direct lattice-QCD calculation of the Bjorken-$x$ dependence of the valence quark distribution of the pion. Using large-momentum effective theory (LaMET), we calculate the boosted pion state with long Wilson link operators. After implementing the one-loop matching and meson mass corrections, our result at $m_\pi \approx 310$ MeV is in agreement with those extracted from experimental data as well as from Dyson-Schwinger equation in small $x$ region, but a sizeable discrepancy in the large $x$ region. This discrepancy provides a nice opportunity to systematically study and disentangle the artifacts in the LaMET approach, which will eventually help to discern various existing analyses in the literature., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, version accepted by PRD

We present a lattice-QCD calculation of the unpolarized isovector parton distribution function (PDF) using ensembles at the physical pion mass with large proton boost momenta $P_z \in \{2.2,2.6,3.0\}$~GeV within the framework of large-momentum effective theory (LaMET). In contrast to our previous physical-pion PDF result, we increase the statistics significantly, double the boost momentum, increase the investment in excited-state contamination systematics, and switch to $\gamma_t$ operator to avoid mixing with scalar matrix elements. We use four source-sink separations in our analysis to control the systematics associated with excited-state contamination. The one-loop LaMET matching corresponding to the new operator is calculated and applied to our lattice data. We detail the systematics that affect PDF calculations, providing guidelines to improve the precision of future lattice PDF calculations. We find our final parton distribution to be in reasonable agreement with the PDF provided by the latest phenomenological analysis., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures