The Fourier transform of generalized parton distribution functions at ξ = 0 describes the distribution of partons in the transverse plane. The physical significance of these impact parameter dependent parton distribution functions is discussed. In particular, it is shown that they satisfy positivity constraints which justify their physical interpretation as a probability density. The generalized parton distribution H is related to the impact parameter distribution of unpolarized quarks for an unpolarized nucleon,H is related to the distribution of longitudinally polarized quarks in a longitudinally polarized nucleon, and E is related to the distortion of the unpolarized quark distribution in the transverse plane when the nucleon has transverse polarization. The magnitude of the resulting transverse flavor dipole moment can be related to the anomalous magnetic moment for that flavor in a model independent way.

It is shown that off-forward parton distributions for ζ = 0, i.e. where the initial and final state differ only in their transverse momenta, can be interpreted in terms of a simultaneous measurement of the longitudinal momentum and transverse position (impact parameter) of partons in the infinite momentum frame.

We develop simple analytic representations of the polarized quark and gluon distributions in the nucleon at low Q 2 which incorporate general constraints obtained from the requirements of color coherence of gluon couplings at x ∼ 0 and the helicity retention properties of perturbative QCD couplings at x ∼ 1. The unpolarized predictions are similar to the D ′ 0 distributions given by Martin, Roberts, and Stirling. The predictions for the quark helicity distributions are compared with polarized structure functions measured by the E142 experiment at SLAC and the SMC experiment at CERN.

ForewordThe study of the fundamental structure of nuclear matter is a central thrust of physics research in the United States. As indicated in Frontiers of Nuclear Science, the 2007 Nuclear Science Advisory Committee long range plan, consideration of a future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a priority and will likely be a significant focus of discussion at the next long range plan. We are therefore pleased to have supported the ten week program in fall 2010 at the Institute of Nuclear Theory which examined at length the science case for the EIC. This program was a major effort; it attracted the maximum allowable attendance over ten weeks.This report summarizes the current understanding of the physics and articulates important open questions that can be addressed by an EIC. It converges towards a set of "golden" experiments that illustrate both the science reach and the technical demands on such a facility, and thereby establishes a firm ground from which to launch the next phase in preparation for the upcoming long range plan discussions. We thank all the participants in this productive program. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the leadership and dedication of the five co-organizers of the program who are also the co-editors of this report.David Kaplan, Director, National Institute for Nuclear Theory Hugh Montgomery, Director, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Steven Vigdor, Associate Lab Director, Brookhaven National Laboratory iii Preface This volume is based on a ten-week program on "Gluons and the quark sea at high energies", which took place at the Institute for Nuclear Theory (INT) in Seattle from September 13 to November 19, 2010. The principal aim of the program was to develop and sharpen the science case for an Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), a facility that will be able to collide electrons and positrons with polarized protons and with light to heavy nuclei at high energies, offering unprecedented possibilities for in-depth studies of quantum chromodynamics. Guiding questions were• What are the crucial science issues?• How do they fit within the overall goals for nuclear physics?• Why can't they be addressed adequately at existing facilities?• Will they still be interesting in the 2020's, when a suitable facility might be realized?The program started with a five-day workshop on "Perturbative and Non-Perturbative Aspects of QCD at Collider Energies", which was followed by eight weeks of regular program and a concluding four-day workshop on "The Science Case for an EIC".More than 120 theorists and experimentalists took part in the program over ten weeks. It was only possible to smoothly accommodate such a large number of participants because of the extraordinary efforts of the INT staff, to whom we extend our warm thanks and appreciation. We thank the INT Director, David Kaplan, for his strong support of the program and for covering a significant portion of the costs for printing this volume. We gratefully acknowledge additional financial support provided by BNL and JLab.The program w...

Impact parameter dependent parton distributions are transversely distorted when one considers transversely polarized nucleons and/or quarks. This provides a physical mechanism for the Todd Sivers effect in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. The transverse distortion can also be connected with Ji's quark angular momentum relation. The distortion of chirally odd impact parameter dependent parton distributions is related to chirally odd GPDs. This result is used to provide a decomposition of the quark angular momentum w.r.t. quarks of definite transversity. Chirally odd GPDs can thus be used to determine the correlation between quark spin and quark angular momentum in unpolarized nucleons. Based on the transverse distortion, we also suggest a qualitative connection between chirally odd GPDs and the Boer-Mulders effect.