Unveiling the proton spin decomposition at a future electron-ion collider
We present a detailed assessment of how well a future electron-ion collider could constrain helicity parton distributions in the nucleon and, therefore, unveil the role of the intrinsic spin of quarks and gluons in the proton’s spin budget. Any remaining deficit in this decomposition will provide the best indirect constraint on the contribution due to the total orbital angular momenta of quarks and gluons. Specifically, all our studies are performed in the context of global QCD analyses based on realistic pseudodata and in the light of the most recent data obtained from polarized proton-proton collisions at BNL-RHIC that have provided evidence for a significant gluon polarization in the accessible, albeit limited range of momentum fractions. We also present projections on what can be achieved on the gluon’s helicity distribution by the end of BNL-RHIC operations. As a result, all estimates of current and projected uncertainties are performed with the robust Lagrange multiplier technique.
- Authors:
-
[1]
; [2]
; [3]
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Univ. de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Univ., Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- Univ. of Tubingen, Tubingen (Germany)
- Publication Date:
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-111726-2016-JA
Journal ID: ISSN 1550-7998; PRVDAQ; R&D Project: PO 004; KB0202012
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC00112704; SC0012704
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review. D, Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 92; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 1550-7998
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Research Org:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP) (SC-26)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1235888
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1227038
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript (DOE)
- Publisher's Version of Record
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.92.094030