e-A PHYSICS AT A COLLIDER.
An electron-nucleus (e-A) collider with center-of-mass energy in excess of 50 GeV per electron-nucleon collision will allow the physics community to obtain unprecedented new knowledge of the partonic structure of nuclei. If reliable information is to be extracted on these partonic densities, it is essential to realize that with our current level of understanding of QCD, momentum transfers to the struck partons greater than 1 GeV/c are necessary. This requirement puts a priority on high center-of-mass energy if partonic densities are to be measured over a wide range. Comparing the partonic structure of the free nucleon to that of bound nucleons and measuring the systematic changes in that structure as a function of nucleon number (A) will provide deeper insight into the origins and dynamics of nuclear binding. In addition, e-A collisions will allow the exploration of partonic densities appreciably higher than is accessible in e-p collisions. An e-A collider will allow one to measure the gluonic structure functions of nuclei down to x {approx} 10{sup -3}, information valuable in its own right and essential to a quantitative understanding of highly relativistic A-A collisions. The time-space evolution of partons can only be investigated by studying the modifications of hard collisions that take place when nuclear targets are employed. In a hard collision the partonic fragments interact, hadronize, and reinteract on their way to the distant detectors without revealing their evolution into the hadrons finally detected. Nuclear targets of differing A place varying amounts of nuclear matter in proximity to the hard collision producing unique information about the quantum fluctuations of incident projectile prior to the collision and on the early evolution of the produced partons. Using charged leptons (e, {mu}) to investigate this physics has been the richest source of information to date and extending the reach of these investigations by the constructing an e -A collider is the best opportunity within reach of the US nuclear science community. This work will potentially affect all areas of strong interaction research. A host of additional issues of considerable interest to nuclear scientists can be investigated; some of which are discussed below.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 772924
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-01-59; TRN: US0200006
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 588; Conference: Conference title not supplied, Conference location not supplied, Conference dates not supplied; Other Information: PBD: 9 Jan 2001; PBD: 9 Jan 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Probing the Quark Sea and Gluons: the Electron-Ion Collider Projects
Benchmark eA generator for leptoproduction in high-energy lepton-nucleus collisions