Researchers have pioneered a novel methodology for examining the configurations of atomic nuclei and their internal constituents. The technique involves simulating the generation of specific particles resulting from high-energy electron collisions with nuclear targets, a process anticipated to occur at the forthcoming Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). Notably, the study indicates that collisions exclusively yielding single mesons, composed of quarks and antiquarks, offer valuable insights into the macroscopic characteristics of the nucleus, such as its dimensions and form. Mesons with higher momentum enable the observation of nuclear structures at shorter length scales, revealing the arrangement of quarks and gluons within protons and neutrons.
Significance of the Research
This groundbreaking research suggests that analyzing mesons produced in collisions at the EIC will provide unprecedented insights into the architecture of atomic nuclei. Unlike traditional methods, such as low-energy collisions of two nuclei resulting in the expulsion of a neutron or proton, or the excitation of nuclei in an electromagnetic field, this new approach delves into the distribution of gluons, particles responsible for binding the quarks forming the nucleus. Consequently, this method can be likened to a more profound form of "X-ray vision" for atoms.
Synopsis
Conducted by theorists from Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, and Wayne State University, this study establishes a theoretical framework for scrutinizing nuclear structures at the upcoming EIC. The EIC, a cutting-edge nuclear physics research facility under construction at Brookhaven Lab, is expected to benefit from collisions generating single vector mesons, providing sensitivity to the intricate makeup of the nuclear target. The research demonstrates that in these collisions, where the target may remain intact or fragment, fluctuations in the target, influenced by positional variations of neutrons and protons, significantly alter the measured cross section when the target is deformed.
As these measurements occur at substantially higher collision energies compared to traditional nuclear structure experiments, the interactions become sensitive to the gluon distributions inside the protons and neutrons. Assessing gluon distributions, rather than electric charge distribution, will furnish fresh insights into the distinctions between these two distributions and how gluon distribution varies with measurement energy. This groundbreaking technique paves the way for new avenues of research at the EIC, potentially providing essential information complementing traditional nuclear structure experiments. It promises to enhance our understanding of how nuclear shapes evolve with energy and offers previously unattainable details about nuclear structure.
Funding
The research received financial support from the Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, the National Science Foundation, and the Research Council of Finland. Computational resources from the Open Science Grid, backed by the National Science Foundation, were instrumental in conducting the study.
Source: Department of Energy
