Generalized parton distributions from hadronic observables: non-zero skewness

We propose a physically motivated parameterization for the unpolarized generalized parton distributions, H and E, valid at both zero and non-zero values of the skewness variable, ζ. Our approach follows a previous detailed study of the ζ=0 case where H and E were determined using constraints from simultaneous fits of the experimental data on both the nucleon elastic form factors and the deep inelastic structure functions in the non-singlet sector. Additional constraints at ζ≠0 are provided by lattice calculations of the higher moments of generalized parton distributions. We illustrate a method for extracting generalized parton distributions from lattice moments based on a reconstruction using sets of orthogonal polynomials. The inclusion in our fit of data on Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering is also discussed. Our method provides a step towards an extraction of generalized distributions based on a global fit of the available data within the given set of constraints.