Gravitational D-form factor: the σ-meson as a dilaton confronted with lattice QCD data I

Roy Stegeman; Roman Zwicky

doi:10.1007/JHEP03(2026)184

Gravitational D-form factor: the σ-meson as a dilaton confronted with lattice QCD data I

Roy Stegeman
, Roman Zwicky^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We investigate the nucleon and pion gravitational D-form factors, by fitting a σ/f0(500)-meson pole, together with a background term, to lattice data at mπ ≈ 170 MeV. We find that the fitted residues are compatible with predictions from dilaton effective theory. In this framework, the σ-meson takes on the role of the dilaton, the Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken scale symmetry. These results support the idea that QCD may be governed by an infrared fixed point and offer a physical interpretation of the D-form factor (or D-term) in the soft limit.

Original language	English
Article number	184
Pages (from-to)	1-33
Number of pages	33
Journal	Journal of High Energy Physics
Volume	2026
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP03(2026)184
Publication status	Published - 19 Mar 2026

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Effective Field Theories of QCD
Properties of Hadrons
Scale and Conformal Symmetries
Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

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10.1007/JHEP03(2026)184Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

JHEP03(2026)184Final published version, 800 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

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abstract = "We investigate the nucleon and pion gravitational D-form factors, by fitting a σ/f0(500)-meson pole, together with a background term, to lattice data at mπ ≈ 170 MeV. We find that the fitted residues are compatible with predictions from dilaton effective theory. In this framework, the σ-meson takes on the role of the dilaton, the Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken scale symmetry. These results support the idea that QCD may be governed by an infrared fixed point and offer a physical interpretation of the D-form factor (or D-term) in the soft limit.",

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N2 - We investigate the nucleon and pion gravitational D-form factors, by fitting a σ/f0(500)-meson pole, together with a background term, to lattice data at mπ ≈ 170 MeV. We find that the fitted residues are compatible with predictions from dilaton effective theory. In this framework, the σ-meson takes on the role of the dilaton, the Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken scale symmetry. These results support the idea that QCD may be governed by an infrared fixed point and offer a physical interpretation of the D-form factor (or D-term) in the soft limit.

AB - We investigate the nucleon and pion gravitational D-form factors, by fitting a σ/f0(500)-meson pole, together with a background term, to lattice data at mπ ≈ 170 MeV. We find that the fitted residues are compatible with predictions from dilaton effective theory. In this framework, the σ-meson takes on the role of the dilaton, the Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken scale symmetry. These results support the idea that QCD may be governed by an infrared fixed point and offer a physical interpretation of the D-form factor (or D-term) in the soft limit.

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KW - Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

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Gravitational D-form factor: the σ-meson as a dilaton confronted with lattice QCD data I

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Particle Theory At The Higgs Centre

Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre

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Gravitational D-form factor: the σ-meson as a dilaton confronted with lattice QCD data I

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Particle Theory At The Higgs Centre

Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre

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