In this talk, we discuss the compatibility of different deeply inelastic neutrino-nucleus data sets and the universal nuclear PDFs. This is an issue that has lately been investigated by different groups but the conclusions have been surprisingly contradictory. While some studies have found a good overall agreement between the nuclear PDFs and the neutrino data, others have claimed for an incompatibility. Here, we demonstrate that the independent neutrino data sets from NuTeV, CHORUS and CDHSW collaborations differ in the absolute overall normalization and that it is not possible to accurately reproduce all the data simultaneously with a single set of PDFs. Our strategy to overcome this difficulty and allow a consistent use of all neutrino data in global PDF analyses is to normalize the data by the integrated cross-sections thereby cancelling possible inaccuracies in the absolute normalization. Indeed, this brings all data to a surprisingly good mutual agreement underscoring the x-dependence of the nuclear modifications in a model-independent way. The consistency of these data with the present nuclear PDFs is verified by introducing a method to test the effect of a new data set in an existing global fit that performed a Hessian error analysis.
We have studied the prospects of using the Drell-Yan dilepton process in pion-nucleus collisions as a novel input in the global analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs). In a NLO QCD framework, we find the measured nuclear cross-section ratios from the NA3, NA10 and E615 experiments to be largely insensitive to the pion parton distributions and also compatible with the EPS09 and nCTEQ15 nPDFs. These data sets can thus be, and in EPPS16 have been, included in global nPDF analyses without introducing significant new theoretical uncertainties or tension with the other data. In pa…
We report on EPPS16 - the first analysis of NLO nuclear PDFs where LHC p-Pb data (Z, W, dijets) have been directly used as a constraint. In comparison to our previous fit EPS09, also data from neutrino-nucleus deeply-inelastic scattering and pion-nucleus Drell-Yan process are now included. Much of the theory framework has also been updated from EPS09, including a consistent treatment of heavy quarks in deeply-inelastic scattering. However, the most notable change is that we no longer assume flavour-blind nuclear modifications for valence and sea quarks. This significantly reduces the theoretic…
The status of the global fits of nuclear parton distributions (nPDFs) is reviewed. In addition to comparing the contemporary analyses of nPDFs, difficulties and controversies posed by the neutrino-nucleus deeply inelastic scattering data is overviewed. At the end, the first dijet data from the LHC proton+lead collisions is briefly discussed.
I review the current status of global analysis of nuclear parton distributions and discuss some near-future prospects. I also advocate proton-nucleus (p-$A$) measurements at the LHC with $A\ll 208$ from the viewpoint of nuclear parton distributions.
The LHC is foreseen to finally bring also the nuclear collisions to the TeV scale thereby providing new possibilities for physics studies, in particular related to the electro-weak sector of the Standard Model. We study here the Z and W production in proton-lead and lead-lead collisions at the LHC, concentrating on the prospects of testing the factorization and constraining the nuclear modifications of the parton distribution functions (PDFs). Especially, we find that the rapidity asymmetries in proton-nucleus collisions, arising from the differences in the PDFs between the colliding objects, …
Pion parton distribution functions and pion-nucleus induced $J/ψ$ production in extended light-front holographic QCD
Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院近代物理研究所）；State Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Science and Technology（重离子物理国家重点实验室）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
We investigate the influence of modified nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs) on high-pT hadron production at RHIC and LHC energies using a pQCD-improved parton model. For application at RHIC, we focus on the possible contribution of the EMC modification of the nuclear PDFs in the x > 0.3 region to the observed suppression of pi0 production at pT > 10 GeV/c in dAu collisions. We study three different parameterizations of the nuclear PDF modifications and find that they give consistent results for R_dAu(pT) for neutral pions in the region 10 GeV/c < pT < 20 GeV/c. We find that the EMC s…
We present results of our recent EPPS16 global analysis of NLO nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs). For the first time, dijet and heavy gauge boson production data from LHC proton-lead collisions have been included in a global fit. Especially, the CMS dijets play an important role in constraining the nuclear effects in gluon distributions. With the inclusion of also neutrino-nucleus deeply-inelastic scattering and pion-nucleus Drell-Yan data and a proper treatment of isospin-corrected data, we were able to free the flavor dependence of the valence and sea quark nuclear modifications …
In ultra-peripheral heavy-ion collisions the nuclei pass with such a large impact parameter that no strong interaction can take place. However, a photon emitted by one nucleus can still interact either with the other nucleus or with a photon from the another nucleus. The former event type corresponds to photoproduction, earlier studied e.g. in electron-proton collisions at HERA, but now with a nuclear target. This provides an unique opportunity to study the nuclear modifications of the PDFs with the photo-nuclear processes measured in lead-lead collisions at the LHC. Here we present our recent…
We introduce a global analysis of collinearly factorized nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs) including, for the first time, data constraints from LHC proton-lead collisions. In comparison to our previous analysis, EPS09, where data only from charged-lepton-nucleus deep inelastic scattering (DIS), Drell-Yan (DY) dilepton production in proton-nucleus collisions and inclusive pion production in deuteron-nucleus collisions were the input, we now increase the variety of data constraints to cover also neutrino-nucleus DIS and low-mass DY production in pion-nucleus collisions. The new LHC da…
Vector meson production in ultra-peripheral pA and AA collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are very sensitive to Parton Distribution Functions (PDF) as well as to their leading-order, next-to-leading-order, and medium corrections. This process is a complimentary tool to explore the effects of different PDFs in particle production in proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus central collisions. Existing and forthcoming data available, e.g., from ALICE and CMS, may be used in conjunction with our theoretical predictions to constrain the PDFs. We make predictions for rapidity distributions…
We discuss the implications of the preliminary CMS dijet data from 5.02 TeV pp and pPb collisions for gluon PDFs of the proton and nuclei. The preliminary pp data show a discrepancy with NLO predictions using for example the CT14 PDFs. We find that this difference cannot be accommodated within the associated scale uncertainties and debate the possible changes needed in the gluon PDF. A similar discrepancy is found between the CMS pPb data and NLO predictions e.g. with the EPPS16 nuclear modifications imposed on the CT14 proton PDFs. When a nuclear modification ratio of the pp and pPb data is c…
We quantify the impact of unpolarized lepton-proton and lepton-nucleus inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) cross section measurements from the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) on the proton and nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs). To this purpose we include neutral- and charged-current DIS pseudodata in a self-consistent set of proton and nuclear global PDF determinations based on the NNPDF methodology. We demonstrate that the EIC measurements will reduce the uncertainty of the light quark PDFs of the proton at large values of the momentum fraction $x$, and, more significantly…
We study nuclear effects in charged current deep inelastic neutrino-iron scattering in the frame-work of a chi^2 analysis of parton distribution functions. We extract a set of iron PDFs and show that under reasonable assumptions it is possible to constrain the valence, light sea and strange quark distributions. Our iron PDFs are used to compute x_{Bj}-dependent and Q^2-dependent nuclear correction factors for iron structure functions which are required in global analyses of free nucleon PDFs. We compare our results with nuclear correction factors from neutrino-nucleus scattering models and cor…
We report global analysis results of experimental data for nuclear structure-function ratios F_2^A/F_2^{A'} and proton-nucleus Drell-Yan cross-section ratios sigma_{DY}^{pA}/sigma_{DY}^{pA'} in order to determine optimum parton distribution functions (PDFs) in nuclei. An important point of this analysis is to show uncertainties of the distributions by the Hessian method. The results indicate that the uncertainties are large for gluon distributions in the whole x region and for antiquark distributions at x>0.2. We provide a code for calculating any nuclear PDFs at given x and Q^2 for general us…
The centrality dependencies of the inclusive neutral pion and prompt photon nuclear modification factors for p+Pb collisions at the LHC are studied using a spatially dependent set of nuclear PDFs, EPS09s. The calculations are performed at mid- and forward rapidities searching for an observable which would optimally probe the spatial dependence of the nuclear PDFs. In addition, we discuss to which $x$ values of the nucleus the different observables are sensitive.
Determination of Nuclear PDFs using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods
Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院核物理研究所）；Southern Methodist University（南方卫理公会大学）；Jefferson Lab（杰斐逊实验室）；Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster（明斯特西法利亚威廉大学）
The extraction of the strange quark parton distribution function (PDF) poses a long-standing puzzle. Measurements from neutrino-nucleus deep inelastic scattering (DIS) experiments suggest the strange quark is suppressed compared to the light sea quarks, while recent studies of W/Z boson production at the LHC imply a larger strange component at small x values. As the parton flavor determination in the proton depends on nuclear corrections, e.g. from heavy-target DIS, LHC heavy ion measurements can provide a distinct perspective to help clarify this situation. In this investigation we extend the…
We study nuclear effects of charged current deep inelastic neutrino-iron scattering in the framework of a chi^2 analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs). We extract a set of iron PDFs which are used to compute x_Bj-dependent and Q^2-dependent nuclear correction factors for iron structure functions which are required in global analyses of free nucleon PDFs. We compare our results with nuclear correction factors from neutrino-nucleus scattering models and correction factors for charged-lepton--iron scattering. We find that, except for very high x_Bj, our correction factors differ in both…
We study nuclear effects of charged current deep inelastic neutrino-iron scattering in the framework of a chi^2 analysis of parton distribution functions (PDFs). We extract a set of iron PDFs which are used to compute x_Bj-dependent and Q^2-dependent nuclear correction factors for iron structure functions which are required in global analyses of free nucleon PDFs. We compare our results with nuclear correction factors from neutrino-nucleus scattering models and correction factors for charged lepton-iron scattering. We find that, except for very high x_Bj, our correction factors differ in both …
We discuss the new constraints on gluon parton distribution function (PDF) in lead nucleus, derivable with the Hessian PDF reweighting method from the 5.02 TeV p+Pb measurements of dijet (CMS) and $D^0$-meson (LHCb) nuclear modification ratios. The impact is found to be significant, placing stringent constraints in the mid- and previously unconstrained small-$x$ regions. The CMS dijet data confirm the existence of gluon anti-shadowing and the onset of small-$x$ shadowing, as well as reduce the gluon PDF uncertainties in the larger-$x$ region. The gluon constraints from the LHCb $D^0$ data, rea…
We perform a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) using neutral current charged-lepton ($\ell ^\pm$ + nucleus) deeply inelastic scattering (DIS) data and Drell-Yan (DY) cross-section ratios $σ_{DY}^{A}/σ_{DY}^{A^\prime}$ for several nuclear targets. We study in detail the parametrizations and the atomic mass (A) dependence of the nuclear PDFs at this order. The present nuclear PDFs global analysis provides us a complete set of nuclear PDFs, $f_i^{(A,Z)}(x,Q^2)$, with a full functional dependence on $x$, A, Q$^2$. The uncertainties of th…
In this talk, I overview the recent progress on the global analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions (nuclear PDFs). After first introducing the contemporary fits, the analysis procedures are quickly recalled and the ambiguities in the use of experimental data outlined. Various nuclear-PDF parametrizations are compared and the main differences explained. The effects of nuclear PDFs in the LHC p-Pb hard-process observables are discussed and some future prospects sketched.
We have presented the results of our next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions (nuclear PDFs) [Phys. Rev. D 93 (2016) 014026, arXiv:1601.00939 [hep-ph]] using all available neutral current charged-lepton ($\ell ^\pm$ + nucleus) deeply inelastic scattering (DIS) data as well as Drell-Yan (DY) cross-section ratios $σ_{\rm DY}^{A}/σ_{\rm DY}^{A^\prime}$ for a variety of nuclear targets. We have studied in detail the parametrizations and the atomic mass (A) dependence of the nuclear PDFs at NNLO at the input scale, $Q_0^2 = 2 \, {\rm GeV^2}$. Our {\…
We evaluate the uncertainties due to nuclear effects in global fits of proton parton distribution functions (PDFs) that utilise deep-inelastic scattering and Drell-Yan data on deuterium targets. To do this we use an iterative procedure to determine proton and deuteron PDFs simultaneously, each including the uncertainties in the other. We apply this procedure to determine the nuclear uncertainties in the SLAC, BCDMS, NMC and DYE866/NuSea fixed target deuteron data included in the NNPDF3.1 global fit. We show that the effect of the nuclear uncertainty on the proton PDFs is small, and that the in…
The nuclear medium effects in the nuclear structure functions and differential cross sections in the deep inelastic scattering (DIS) of charged lepton and neutrino from nuclear targets are studied in the region of large $x$ including $x\ge 1$. The nuclear medium effects due to the Fermi motion and the binding energy of nucleons and the nucleon correlations are included using nucleon spectral function calculated in a microscopic field theoretical model. The numerical results for the nuclear structure functions and the cross sections are obtained using the nucleon structure function evaluated at…
The prospects for a measurement of nuclear parton distribution functions (PDFs) at the Large Hadron--Electron Collider are discussed in the light of recent progress made in the front of global analysis of nuclear PDFs.
We present our results on open beauty production in proton-nucleus collisions for the recent LHC $p$Pb run at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=5 TeV. We have analysed the effect of the modification of the gluon PDFs in nucleus at the level of the nuclear modification factor. Because of the absence of measurement in $pp$ collisions at the same energy, we also propose the study of the forward-to-backward yield ratio in which the unknown proton-proton yield cancel. Our results are compared with the data obtained by LHCb collaboration and show a good agreement.
We present the reweighting of two sets of nuclear PDFs, nCTEQ15 and EPPS16, using a selection of experimental data on heavy-flavor meson [D0, J/psi, J/psi from B and Upsilon(1S)] production in proton-lead collisions at the LHC which were not used in the original determination of these nuclear PDFs. The reweighted PDFs exhibit significantly smaller uncertainties thanks to these new heavy-flavor constraints. We present a comparison with another selection of data from the LHC and RHIC which were not included in our reweighting procedure. The comparison is overall very good and serves as a validat…
The recent global analyses of the nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) lend support to the validity of the factorization theorem of QCD in high-energy processes involving bound nucleons. With a special attention on our latest global analysis EPS09, we review the recent developements in the domain of nuclear PDFs.
We review the present status of the determination of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the light of the precision requirements for the LHC in Run 2 and other future hadron colliders. We provide brief reviews of all currently available PDF sets and use them to compute cross sections for a number of benchmark processes, including Higgs boson production in gluon-gluon fusion at the LHC. We show that the differences in the predictions obtained with the various PDFs are due to particular theory assumptions made in the fits of those PDFs. We discuss PDF uncertainties in the kinematic region co…
The HERAFitter project provides a framework for the determination of parton distribution functions (PDFs), and tools for assessing the impact of new data on PDFs. In this contribution, HERAFitter is used for a QCD analysis of the legacy measurements of the $W$-boson charge asymmetry and of the $Z$-boson production cross sections, performed at the Tevatron collider in Run II by the D0 and CDF collaborations. The Tevatron measurements are included in a PDF fit performed at next-to-leading order, and compared to the predictions obtained using other PDF sets from different groups. The measurements…
A new combined next to leading order QCD analysis of the polarized inclusive and semi-inclusive deep inelastic lepton-hadron scattering (DIS) data is presented. In contrast to previous combined analyses, the $1/Q^2$ terms (kinematic - target mass corrections, and dynamic - higher twist corrections) in the expression for the nucleon spin structure function $g_1$ are taken into account. The new COMPASS data are included in the analysis. The impact of the semi-inclusive data on the polarized parton densities (PDFs) and on the higher twist corrections is discussed. The new results for the PDFs are…
We study the prospects for constraining the nuclear parton distribution functions by small-x deep inelastic scattering. Performing a global fit of nuclear parton distribution functions including a sample of pseudodata representing expected measurements at the planned LHeC collider, we demonstrate that the accuracy of the present nuclear parton distributions could be be improved substantially. We also discuss the impact of flavour-tagged data.
We update our previous studies of nuclear-matter effects on J/Psi production in proton-nucleus for the recent LHC pPb runs at sqrt(s_NN)=5 TeV. We have analysed the effects of the modification of the gluon PDFs in nucleus, using an exact kinematics for a 2->2 process, namely g+g->J/Psi+g as expected from LO pQCD. This allows to constrain the transverse-momentum while computing the nuclear modification factor for different rapidities, unlike with the usual simplified kinematics. Owing to the absence of measurement in pp collisions at the same sqrt(s_NN) and owing to the expected significant unc…
We provide a comprehensive comparison of W/Z vector boson production data in proton-lead and lead-lead collisions at the LHC with predictions obtained using the nCTEQ15 PDFs. We identify the measurements which have the largest potential impact on the PDFs, and estimate the effect of including these data using a Monte Carlo reweighting method. We find this data set can provide information about both the nuclear corrections and the heavy flavor (strange) PDF components. As the proton flavor determination is dependent on nuclear corrections (from heavy target DIS, for example), this information c…
We review the current status of spin-averaged and spin-dependent parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the nucleon. After presenting the formalism used to fit PDFs in modern global data analyses, we discuss constraints placed on the PDFs by specific data types. We give representative examples of unpolarized and polarized PDFs and their errors, and list open questions in global QCD fitting. Finally, we anticipate how future facilities, with fixed-target and collider experiments, may impact our knowledge of PDFs and reduce their uncertainties.
We present a methodology for the construction of parton distribution functions (PDFs) designed to provide an accurate representation of PDF uncertainties for specific processes or classes of processes with a minimal number of PDF error sets: specialized minimal PDF sets, or SM-PDFs. We construct these SM-PDFs in such a way that sets corresponding to different input processes can be combined without losing information, specifically on their correlations, and that they are robust upon smooth variations of the kinematic cuts. The proposed strategy never discards information, so that the SM-PDF se…
We present LO, NLO and NNLO sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton determined from global analyses of the available hard scattering data. These MMHT2014 PDFs supersede the `MSTW2008' parton sets, but are obtained within the same basic framework. We include a variety of new data sets, from the LHC, updated Tevatron data and the HERA combined H1 and ZEUS data on the total and charm structure functions. We also improve the theoretical framework of the previous analysis. These new PDFs are compared to the `MSTW2008' parton sets. In most cases the PDFs, and the predictions, are …
New hard-scattering measurements from the LHC proton-lead run have the potential to provide important constraints on the nuclear parton distributions and thus contributing to a better understanding of the initial state in heavy ion collisions. In order to quantify these constraints, as well as to assess the compatibility with available nuclear data from fixed target experiments and from RHIC, the traditional strategy is to perform a global fit of nuclear PDFs. This procedure is however time consuming and technically challenging, and moreover can only be performed by the PDF fitters themselves.…
The goal of this study is to determine a set of diffractive parton distribution function (diffractive PDFs) from a QCD analysis of all available and up-to-date diffractive deep inelastic scattering (diffractive DIS) data sets from HERA $ep$ collider, including the most recent H1 and ZUES combined inclusive diffractive cross section measurements. This extraction of diffractive PDFs, referred to as {\tt HK19-DPDF}, is performed at next-to-leading (NLO) and next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. This new determination of diffractive PDFs is based on the fracture functions methodology…
We present a first global determination of spin-dependent parton distribution functions (PDFs) and their uncertainties using the NNPDF methodology: NNPDFpol1.1. Longitudinally polarized deep-inelastic scattering data, already used for the previous NNPDFpol1.0 PDF set, are supplemented with the most recent polarized hadron collider data for inclusive jet and $W$ boson production from the STAR and PHENIX experiments at RHIC, and with open-charm production data from the COMPASS experiment, thereby allowing for a separate determination of the polarized quark and anti-quark PDFs, and an improved de…
We present the new MSHT20 set of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton, determined from global analyses of the available hard scattering data. The PDFs are made available at NNLO, NLO, and LO, and supersede the MMHT14 sets. They are obtained using the same basic framework, but the parameterisation is now adapted and extended, and there are 32 pairs of eigenvector PDFs. We also include a large number of new data sets: from the final HERA combined data on total and heavy flavour structure functions, to final Tevatron data, and in particular a significant number of new LHC 7 and 8 Te…
