Mapping the transverse spin sum rule in position space

Abstract

We discuss in detail the relativistic spatial distribution of transverse angular momentum, including both orbital and intrinsic spin contributions. Using the quantum phase-space formalism, we begin with the definition of the three-dimensional spatial distributions of transverse orbital angular momentum and intrinsic spin in a generic Lorentz frame. By integrating these three-dimensional spatial distributions over the longitudinal axis, we derive for the first time the relativistic spatial distributions of transverse orbital angular momentum, intrinsic spin, and total angular momentum for spin-0 and spin-1/2 targets in the transverse plane. We verify the transverse spin sum rule about the relativistic center of spin for spin-0 and spin-1/2 systems, and find that the transverse total angular momentum distribution is non-trivial, even for spin-0 targets. We also show how the distributions of transverse orbital angular momentum, intrinsic spin, and total angular momentum change with the target momentum.

Comments: 10 pages, 4 figures