Single-spin asymmetry ATsin(2ϕ−ϕS) in π−p Drell-Yan process within TMD factorization

We study the single-spin asymmetry ATsin(2ϕ−ϕS) in the pion-induced Drell-Yan process within the transverse momentum dependent factorization (TMD factorization). The asymmetry can be expressed as the convolution of the Boer-Mulders function and the transversity function. We numerically estimate the asymmetry ATsin(2ϕ−ϕS) at the COMPASS kinematics with the model results for the pion meson distributions from the light-cone wave function approach and the available parametrization for the proton distributions. We also include the TMD evolution formalism both proton and pion parton distribution functions by using two different parametrizations on nonperturbative Sudakov form factor. We find that the asymmetry ATsin(2ϕ−ϕS) as functions of xp, xπ, xF and q⊥ is qualitatively consistent with the recent COMPASS measurement.

Hadron interactions for arbitrary energies and species, with applications to cosmic rays

The Pythia event generator is used in several contexts to study hadron and lepton interactions, notably $$\mathrm{p}\mathrm{p}$$ p p and $$\mathrm{p}{\bar{\mathrm{p}}}$$ p p ¯ collisions. In this article we extend the hadronic modelling to encompass the collision of a wide range of hadrons h with either a proton or a neutron, or with a simplified model of nuclear matter. To this end we model $$h\mathrm{p}$$ h p total and partial cross sections as a function of energy, and introduce new parton distribution functions for a wide range of hadrons, as required for a proper modelling of multiparton interactions. The potential usefulness of the framework is illustrated by a simple study of the evolution of cosmic rays in the atmosphere, and by an even simpler one of shower evolution in a solid detector material. The new code will be made available for future applications.

Multi-partonic medium induced cascades in expanding media

Going beyond the simplified gluonic cascades, we introduce both gluon and quark degrees of freedom for partonic cascades inside the medium. We then solve the set of coupled evolution equations numerically with splitting kernels calculated for static, exponential, and Bjorken expanding media to arrive at medium-modified parton spectra for quark and gluon initiated jets. Using these, we calculate the inclusive jet $$R_\mathrm {AA}$$ R AA where the phenomenologically driven combinations of quark and gluon jet fractions are included. Then, the rapidity dependence of the jet $$R_\mathrm {AA}$$ R AA is examined. We also study the path-length dependence of jet quenching for different types of expanding media by calculating the jet $$v_2$$ v 2 . Additionally, we study the sensitivity of observables on effects from nuclear modification of parton distribution functions, vacuum-like emissions in the plasma, and the time of the onset of the quenching. All calculations are compared with recently measured data.

Erratum to: On factorisation schemes for the electron parton distribution functions in QED

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2021)180

Accurate prediction of the Drell-Yan φ∗ η distribution in wide dilepton mass and rapidity ranges in pp collisions through NNLO+N3LL

This paper presents high-accuracy predictions for the differential cross sections as a function of the key observable φ*η of the neutral-current Drell-Yan (DY) dilepton production in proton-proton (pp) collisions. The differential distributions for the φ*η are presented by using the state-of-the-art predictions from the combined calculations of fixed-order perturbative QCD corrections at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) accuracy and resummation of large logarithmic terms at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) and next-to-NNLL (N3LL) accuracies, i.e., NNLO+NNLL and NNLO+N3LL, respectively. The predicted distributions are reported for a thorough set of the DY dilepton invariant mass mll ranges, spanning a wide kinematic region of 50 < mll< 1000 GeV both near and away from the Z-boson mass peak, and rapidity yll ranges in the central detector acceptance region of |yll| < 2.4. The differential φ*η distributions in the wide mll and yll ranges offer stringent tests to assess the reliability of the predictions, where the mll and yll are closely correlated with the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the incoming partons. The merged predictions through NNLO+N3LL are observed to provide good description of the 13 TeV pp collision data for the φ*η (including the dilepton transverse momentum pll T as well) distributions in almost the entire mll and yll ranges, apart from the intermediate- to high-φ*η region in the lowest mass range 50–76 GeV which is assessed to constitute a challenge for the presented predictions. The merged predictions at NNLO+N3LL are also reported at 14 TeV for the upcoming high-luminosity running era of the LHC, in which increasing amount of data is expected to require more accurate and precise theoretical description. The most recent PDF models MSHT20 and CT18 are tested for the first time in addition to the NNPDF3.1 exploiting the merged φ*η predictions.

Spin asymmetries in electron-jet production at the future electron ion collider

We study all the possible spin asymmetries that can arise in back-to-back electron-jet production, ep → e + jet + X, as well as the associated jet fragmentation process, ep → e+jet(h)+X, in electron-proton collisions. We derive the factorization formalism for these spin asymmetries and perform the corresponding phenomenology for the kinematics relevant to the future electron ion collider. In the case of unpolarized electron-proton scattering, we also give predictions for azimuthal asymmetries for the HERA experiment. This demonstrates that electron-jet production is an outstanding process for probing unpolarized and polarized transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions.

Quark sivers function at small x: spin-dependent odderon and the sub-eikonal evolution

We apply the formalism developed earlier [1, 2] for studying transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs) at small Bjorken x to construct the small-x asymptotics of the quark Sivers function. First, we explicitly construct the complete fundamental “polarized Wilson line” operator to sub-sub-eikonal order: this object can be used to study a variety of quark TMDs at small x. We then express the quark Sivers function in terms of dipole scattering amplitudes containing various components of the “polarized Wilson line” and show that the dominant (eikonal) term which contributes to the quark Sivers function at small x is the spin-dependent odderon, confirming the re- cent results of Dong, Zheng and Zhou [3]. Our conclusion is also similar to the case of the gluon Sivers function derived by Boer, Echevarria, Mulders and Zhou [4] (see also [5]). We also analyze the sub-eikonal corrections to the quark Sivers function using the constructed “polarized Wilson line” operator. We derive new small-x evolution equations re-summing double-logarithmic powers of αs ln2(1/x) with αs the strong coupling constant. We solve the corresponding novel evolution equations in the large-Nc limit, obtaining a sub-eikonal correction to the spin-dependent odderon contribution. We conclude that the quark Sivers function at small x receives contributions from two terms and is given by$$ {f}_{1T}^{\perp q}\left(x,{k}_T^2\right)={C}_O\left(x,{k}_T^2\right)\frac{1}{x}+{C}_1\left({k}_T^2\right){\left(\frac{1}{x}\right)}^0+\cdots $$ f 1 T ⊥ q x k T 2 = C O x k T 2 1 x + C 1 k T 2 1 x 0 + ⋯ with the function CO(x,$$ {k}_T^2 $$ k T 2 ) varying slowly with x and the ellipsis denoting the subasymptotic and sub-sub-eikonal (order-x) corrections.

The continuum and leading twist limits of parton distribution functions in lattice QCD

In this study, we present continuum limit results for the unpolarized parton distribution function of the nucleon computed in lattice QCD. This study is the first continuum limit using the pseudo-PDF approach with Short Distance Factorization for factorizing lattice QCD calculable matrix elements. Our findings are also compared with the pertinent phenomenological determinations. Inter alia, we are employing the summation Generalized Eigenvalue Problem (sGEVP) technique in order to optimize our control over the excited state contamination which can be one of the most serious systematic errors in this type of calculations. A crucial novel ingredient of our analysis is the parameterization of systematic errors using Jacobi polynomials to characterize and remove both lattice spacing and higher twist contaminations, as well as the leading twist distribution. This method can be expanded in further studies to remove all other systematic errors.