Uncertainty due to quark energy loss in determining the nuclear sea quark distribution from nuclear Drell-Yan data

Journal Article · Wed Apr 15 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.79.048201· OSTI ID:21286913

Duan, C G ^[1]; Liu, N ^[1]; Li, G L ^[2]

---

1. Department of Physics, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050016 (China)
2. Department of Physics, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing 210017 (China)

By means of two different parametrizations of quark energy loss and the nuclear parton distributions determined only with lepton-nuclear deep inelastic scattering experimental data, a leading order phenomenological analysis is performed on the nuclear Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios for E772 experimental data. Uncertainty due to the quark energy loss effect is quantified in determining the nuclear sea quark distribution by using nuclear Drell-Yan data. It is found that the quark energy loss effect on nuclear Drell-Yan cross section ratios becomes greater with the increase of quark momentum fraction in the target nuclei. The uncertainty from the quark energy loss becomes bigger as the nucleus A becomes heavier. The Drell-Yan data on proton incident middle and heavy nuclei versus deuterium would result in an overestimate for nuclear modification in the sea quark distribution with neglecting the quark energy loss.

• OSTI ID: 21286913
• Journal Information: Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 79; ISSN 0556-2813; ISSN PRVCAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING
DEUTERIUM
DIFFERENTIAL CROSS SECTIONS
DISTRIBUTION
DRELL MODEL
ENERGY LOSSES
HEAVY NUCLEI
LEPTONS
MODIFICATIONS
PROTONS
QUARK MATTER
QUARKS