Parton Distributions from Boosted Fields in the Coulomb Gauge

We propose a new method to calculate parton distribution functions (PDFs) from lattice correlations of boosted quarks and gluons in the Coulomb gauge, within the framework of Large Momentum Effective Theory. Compared to the widely used gauge-invariant Wilson-line operators, these correlations greatly simplify the renormalization thanks to the absence of linear power divergence. Besides, they enable access to larger off-axis momenta under preserved 3D rotational symmetry, as well as enhanced long-range precision that facilitates the Fourier transform. We verify the factorization formula that relates this new observable to the quark PDF at one-loop order in perturbation theory. Moreover, through a lattice calculation of the pion valence quark PDF, we demonstrate the aforementioned advantage and features of the Coulomb gauge correlation and show that it yields consistent result with the gauge-invariant method. This opens the door to a more efficient way to calculate parton physics on the lattice.