Spatial imaging of polarized deuterons at the Electron-Ion Collider

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We study diffractive vector meson production at small- x in the collision of electrons and polarized deuterons e + d ↑ . We consider the polarization dependence of the nuclear wave function of the deuteron, which results in an azimuthal angular dependence of the produced vector meson when the deuteron is transversely polarized. The Fourier coefficients extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence of the vector meson differential cross-section exhibit notable differences between longitudinally and transversely polarized deuterons. The angular dependence of the extracted effective deuteron radius provides direct insight into the structure of the polarized deuteron wave function. Furthermore, we observe slightly increased gluon saturation effects when the deuteron is longitudinally polarized compared to the transversely polarized case. The small- x observables studied in this work will be accessible at the future Electron-Ion Collider.

Source: Physics Letters B

DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2024.139053

Authors: Heikki Mäntysaari, Farid Salazar, Björn Schenke, Chun Shen, Wenbin Zhao

Institutions: University of Helsinki, Helsinki Institute of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, University of Washington, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Wayne State University, RIKEN, RIKEN BNL Research Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Strong, European Commission, Office of Science, Nuclear Physics, H2020 European Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W4403015841