Heavy-light Pseudoscalar Mesons: Light-Front Wave Functions and Generalized Parton Distributions

Abstract: The internal structure of the lowest-lying pseudo-scalar mesons with heavy-light quark content is thoroughly studied using an algebraic model that has been successfully applied to similar physical observables of pseudoscalar and vector mesons with hidden-flavor quark content, ranging from light to heavy quark sectors. This model is based on constructing simple and evidence-based ans\"atze for the mesons' Bethe-Salpeter amplitude (BSA) and quark propagator, allowing the Bethe-Salpeter wave function (BSWF) to be computed algebraically. Its projection onto the light front yields the corresponding light-front wave function (LFWF), which provides easy access to the valence-quark Parton Distribution Amplitude (PDA) by integrating over the transverse momentum squared. We leverage our current knowledge of the PDAs of the lowest-lying pseudo-scalar heavy-light mesons to compute their Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) via the overlap representation of the LFWFs. From this three-dimensional information, various limits and projections allow us to deduce the related Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), Electromagnetic Form Factors (EFFs), and Impact Parameter Space GPDs (IPS-GPDs). Whenever possible, we make explicit comparisons with available experimental results and previous theoretical predictions.