Abstract
We present a general analysis of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) distribution of gluons ${L}_{g}(x)$ inside the nucleon with particular emphasis on the small-$x$ region. We derive a novel operator representation of ${L}_{g}(x)$ in terms of Wilson lines and argue that it is approximately proportional to the gluon helicity distribution ${L}_{g}(x)\ensuremath{\approx}\ensuremath{-}2\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}G(x)$ at small $x$. We also compute longitudinal single-spin asymmetry in exclusive diffractive dijet production in lepton-nucleon scattering in the next-to-eikonal approximation and show that the asymmetry is a direct probe of the gluon helicity/OAM distribution as well as the QCD odderon exchange.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
