Model-independent determination of the nucleon charge radius from lattice QCD

Lattice QCD calculations of nucleon form factors are restricted to discrete values of the Euclidean four-momentum transfer. Therefore, the extraction of radii typically relies on parametrizing and fitting the lattice QCD data to obtain its slope close to zero momentum transfer. We investigate a new method, which allows to compute the nucleon radius directly from existing lattice QCD data, without assuming a functional form for the momentum dependence of the underlying form factor. The method is illustrated for the case of the isovector mean-square charge radius of the nucleon $⟨r_{\mathrm{isov}}^2⟩$ and the quark-connected contributions to $⟨r_p^2⟩$ and $⟨r_n^2⟩$ for the proton and neutron, respectively. Computations are performed using a single gauge ensemble with $N_f=2+1+1$ maximally twisted mass clover-improved fermions at physical quark mass and a lattice spacing of $a=0.08\mathrm{fm}$.