Extraction of DVCS amplitudes off the nucleon

Abstract

This work presents a modern extraction of deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) amplitudes off the proton and off the neutron through a global analysis of experimental data. These amplitudes serve as a crucial intermediate quantity linking generalized parton distributions (GPDs) to experimental observables. The analysis relies on a novel extraction framework recently integrated into the PARTONS software ecosystem. We employ two distinct modelling approaches for the DVCS amplitudes, both utilizing machine learning techniques: one model-agnostic and the other theory-augmented. For the first time, we incorporate the extraction of helicity-flip amplitudes, which are particularly sensitive to higher-twist effects. Furthermore, we compare our extracted amplitudes to timelike Compton scattering (TCS) data using the established relations between DVCS and TCS, serving as an important test of universality of GPDs. We also extract the DVCS subtraction constant, for which ab initio predictions from lattice QCD have been obtained. This allows us to confront these predictions with DVCS data for the first time, initiating a new virtuous cycle between first-principles theory and phenomenology.