On May 27, 2026, the "Nangao Shi · Physics Salon" lecture series, organized by the School of Physics and Technology at Nanjing Normal University, was held in Lecture Hall 436 of the Xingjian Building. Assistant Professor Ji Yao from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) was invited to deliver an academic report titled "Precise Predictions of the Pion Light-Cone Distribution Amplitude" to the faculty and students. The lecture was chaired by Associate Researcher Wang Yefan from the School of Physics and Technology, and was attended by several professors and graduate students from related disciplines.

During the report, Assistant Professor Ji Yao systematically introduced the latest research progress on the pion light-cone distribution amplitude (LCDA). He pointed out that the pion, as the simplest hadron in terms of structure, plays a significant role in deepening the understanding of hadron structure and Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In the large-momentum region, the form factor for inclusive pion processes can be factorized into the convolution of a hard scattering kernel (perturbative region) and the light-cone distribution amplitude (non-perturbative region). Precise calculations of the hard scattering kernel, especially the inclusion of higher-order QCD effects, contribute to obtaining more accurate theoretical predictions of the form factor.

Assistant Professor Ji Yao further elaborated on the theoretical advances in the photon-pion transition form factor, covering key aspects such as factorization formulas at the leading power and next-to-leading power, hard scattering kernel calculations, and the scale evolution of the light-cone distribution amplitude. Notably, he has developed a new method based on conformal field theory in the light-cone gauge, which significantly simplifies the theoretical calculation of the scale evolution behavior of the light-cone distribution amplitude. In addition, Assistant Professor Ji Yao introduced the theoretical progress on the pion electromagnetic form factor, including calculations of multi-loop Feynman diagrams and comparisons among different models of the light-cone distribution amplitude.

During the interactive session, the attending faculty and students engaged in in-depth exchanges and lively discussions with Assistant Professor Ji Yao on cutting-edge topics such as collinear factorization theory and perturbative QCD calculations. This academic report not only broadened the academic horizons of the participants but also laid a solid foundation for future interdisciplinary collaborative research.

Biography of the Speaker:

Ji Yao is an Assistant Professor at the School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and is a recipient of the National High-Level Young Talents Program. He received his Bachelor of Science from Xidian University in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Physics from Arizona State University, USA, in 2016. From 2016 onwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Regensburg, the University of Siegen, and the Technical University of Munich in Germany. In October 2024, he joined the School of Science and Engineering at CUHK-Shenzhen. His main research areas include high-energy physics theory, nuclear physics theory, and quantum computing.