Do gluons carry half of the nucleon momentum?

Abstract

We examine the conventional picture that gluons carry about half of the nucleon momentum in the asymptotic limit. We reveal that this large fraction is due to an unsuitable definition of the gluon momentum in an interacting theory. If defined in a gauge-invariant and consistent way, the asymptotic gluon momentum fraction is computed to be only about one fifth. This result suggests that the asymptotic limit of the nucleon spin structure should also be reexamined. Possible experimental test of our finding is discussed in terms of novel parton distribution functions.