Mechanisms of spin-flavor SU(6) symmetry breaking in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) are studied via an extraction of the free neutron structure function from a global analysis of deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data on the proton and on nuclei from $A = 2$ (deuterium) to 208 (lead). Modification of the structure function of nucleons bound in atomic nuclei (known as the EMC effect) are consistently accounted for within the framework of a universal modification of nucleons in short-range correlated (SRC) pairs. Our extracted neutron-to-proton structure function ratio $F_2^n/F_2^p$ becomes constant for $x_B \ge 0.6$, equalling $0.47 \pm 0.04$ as $x_B \rightarrow 1$, in agreement with theoretical predictions of perturbative QCD and the Dyson Schwinger equation, and in disagreement with predictions of the Scalar Diquark dominance model. We also predict $F_2^{^3\mathrm{He}}/F_2^{^3\mathrm{H}}$, recently measured, yet unpublished, by the MARATHON collaboration, the nuclear correction function that is needed to extract $F_2^n/F_2^p$ from $F_2^{^3\mathrm{He}}/F_2^{^3\mathrm{H}}$, and the theoretical uncertainty associated with this extraction.
We investigated a nuclear modification difference between up- and down-valence quark distributions by analyzing structure function F_2 and Drell-Yan cross-section ratios. Although nuclear modifications of the valence-quark distributions themselves are rather well determined, it is difficult to find their difference from the present data. We estimated such an effect on the NuTeV sin^2 theta_W value and its uncertainty by the Hessian method. At this stage, it is not large enough to explain the whole NuTeV anomaly. However, the modification difference cannot be precisely determined, so that furth…
On the Cancellation of Nuclear Effects in the Valence Region
Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院核物理研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina（南卡罗来纳大学物理与天文系）
We present a detailed description of high-energy neutrino and antineutrino inelastic inclusive scattering off nuclei in terms of nuclear structure functions. In our approach we take into account a QCD description of the nucleon structure functions as well as a number of basic nuclear effects including nuclear shadowing, Fermi motion and binding, nuclear pion excess and off-shell correction to bound nucleon structure functions. These effects prove to be important in the studies of charged-lepton deep-inelastic scattering. We discuss similarities and dissimilarities in the calculation of nuclear…
We use several diverse parameterizations of diffractive parton distributions, extracted in leading twist QCD analyses of the HERA diffractive deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data, to make predictions for leading twist nuclear shadowing of nuclear quark and gluon distributions in DIS on nuclei. We find that the HERA diffractive data are sufficiently precise to allow us to predict large nuclear shadowing for gluons and quarks, unambiguously. We performed detailed studies of nuclear shadowing for up and charm sea quarks and gluons within several scenarios of shadowing and diffractive slopes, as w…
We present an updated extraction of the transversity parton distribution based on the analysis of pion-pair production in deep-inelastic scattering off transversely polarized targets in collinear factorization. Data for proton and deuteron targets make it possible to perform a flavor separation of the valence components of the transversity distribution, using di-hadron fragmentation functions taken from the semi-inclusive production of two pion pairs in back-to-back jets in e+e- annihilation. The e+e- data from Belle have been reanalyzed using the replica method and a more realistic estimate o…
We discuss nuclear effects on neutrino-nuclear interactions in a wide kinematical range from shallow to deep inelastic scattering (DIS) region. There is necessity from neutrino communities to have precise neutrino-nucleus cross sections for future measurements on neutrino oscillations and leptonic CP violation. We try to create a model to calculate neutrino cross sections in the wide kinematical range, from quasi-elastic scattering and resonance productions to the DIS. In this article, nuclear modifications of structure functions are mainly discussed, and a possible extension to the $Q^2 \to 0…
We explore further applications of the twist-two quark interference fragmentation functions introduced earlier. We show that semi-inclusive production of two pions in the current fragmentation region in deep inelastic scattering of a longitudinally polarized electron on a longitudinally polarized nucleon can provide a probe of the valence quark spin (or helicity difference) distribution in the nucleon.
We calculate the quark distribution function for 3He/3H in a relativistic quark model of nuclear structure which adequately reproduces the nucleon approximation, nuclear binding energies, and nuclear sizes for small nuclei. The results show a clear distortion from the quark distribution function for individual nucleons (EMC effect) arising dominantly from a combination of recoil and quark tunneling effects. Antisymmetrization (Pauli) effects are found to be small due to limited spatial overlaps. We compare our predictions with a published parameterization of the nuclear valence quark distribut…
After a brief review of the quark-based model for nuclear matter, and some pion properties in medium presented in our previous works, we report new results for the pion valence wave function as well as the valence distribution amplitude in medium, which are presented in our recent article. We find that both the in-medium pion valence distribution and the in-medium pion valence wave function, are substantially modified at normal nuclear matter density, due to the reduction in the pion decay constant.
This review outlines our present experimental knowledge and theoretical understanding of deep-inelastic scattering on nuclear targets. The emphasis is primarily on nuclear coherence phenomena, such as shadowing, where the key physics issue is the exploration of hadronic and quark-gluon fluctuations of a high-energy virtual photon and their passage through the nuclear medium. New developments in polarized deep-inelastic scattering on nuclei are also discussed, and more conventional binding and Fermi motion effects are summarized. The report closes with a brief outlook on vector meson electropro…
In this paper we study the gluon and valence quark distributions in the pion and kaon in nuclear medium for various nuclear densities as well as in vacuum within the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with the help of the proper-time regularization scheme which simulates a confinement of QCD. The nuclear medium effect is also determined in the same model for the symmetric nuclear matter. We then analyze the gluon and valence quark distributions for the bound pion and kaon in symmetric nuclear matter as well as those in vacuum. We find that the valence quark and gluon distributions in vacuum have …
In-medium valence-quark distributions of $π^+$ and $K^+$ mesons in symmetric nuclear matter are studied by combining the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model and the quark-meson coupling model. The in-medium properties of the current quarks, which are used as inputs for studying the in-medium pion and kaon properties in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model, are calculated within the quark-meson coupling model. The light-quark condensates, light-quark dynamical masses, pion and kaon decay constants, and pion- and kaon-quark coupling constants are found to decrease as nuclear density increases. The obtained valen…
We present an extraction of the valence transversity parton distributions based on an analysis of pion-pair production in deep-inelastic scattering off transversely polarized targets. Recently released data for proton and deuteron targets at HERMES and COMPASS permit a flavor separation of valence transversities. The present extraction is performed in the framework of collinear factorization, where dihadron fragmentation functions are involved. The latter are taken from a previous analysis of electron-positron annihilation measurements.
Pion valence distributions in nuclear medium and vacuum are studied in a light-front constituent quark model. The in-medium input for studying the pion properties is calculated by the quark-meson coupling model. We find that the in-medium pion valence distribution, as well as the in-medium pion valence wave function, are substantially modified at normal nuclear matter density, due to the reduction in the pion decay constant.
We suggest to compare the deep inelastic scattering structure functions measured in the unpolarized charged-lepton scattering off a transversely polarized proton and off a longitudinally polarized proton at larger Bjorken variable $x$, one may get a direct evidence concerning the valence quark orbital angular momentum in the proton. This possible rotating effect is estimated by using a proton-ensemble model.
A light front treatment of the nuclear wave function is developed and applied, using the mean field approximation, to infinite nuclear matter. The nuclear mesons are shown to carry about a third of the nuclear plus momentum, p+; but their momentum distribution has support only at p+ =0, and the mesons do not contribute to nuclear deep inelastic scattering. This zero mode effect occurs because the meson fields are independent of space-time position.
The nuclear rainbow observed in the elastic $α$-nucleus and light heavy-ion scattering is proven to be due to the refraction of the scattering wave by a deep, attractive real optical potential. The nuclear rainbow pattern, established as a broad oscillation of the Airy minima in the elastic cross section, originates from an interference of the refracted far-side scattering amplitudes. It is natural to expect a similar rainbow pattern also in the inelastic scattering of a nucleus-nucleus system that exhibits a pronounced rainbow pattern in the elastic channel. Although some feature of the nucle…
By considering the $x$-dependence of $π^+$, $π^-$, $K^+$, $K^-$, $Λ$, $\barΛ$, $p$, $\bar{p}$ hadron productions in charged lepton semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering off nuclear target (using Fe as an example) and deuteron D target, % at $Q^2=5$ GeV$^2$, we find that $(\barΛ^A/Λ^A)/(\barΛ^D/Λ^D)$ and $({\bar{p}}^A/{p}^A)/({\bar{p}}^A/p^A)$ are ideal to figure out the nuclear sea content, which is predicted to be different by different models accounting for the nuclear EMC effect.
We study the influence of the strong nuclear vector potential, treated using the mean-field approximation, in deep inelastic scattering. A consistent treatment of the electromagnetic current operator, combined with the use of the operator product expansion is presented and discussed.
We propose simple Monte Carlo method for calculating parton distribution in nuclei. The EMC effect is automatically included by means of two parameters, which characterize the change of nuclear pion field. Good agreement with experimental data in the broad range of variable x is obtained.
We present a nucleus-dependent valence-space approach for calculating ground and excited states of nuclei, which generalizes the shell-model in-medium similarity renormalization group to an ensemble reference with fractionally filled orbitals. Because the ensemble is used only as a reference, and not to represent physical states, no symmetry restoration is required. This allows us to capture 3N forces among valence nucleons with a valence-space Hamiltonian specifically targeted to each nucleus of interest. Predicted ground-state energies from carbon through nickel agree with results of other l…
A light front treatment of the nuclear wave function is developed and applied, using the mean field approximation, to infinite nuclear matter. The nuclear mesons are shown to carry about a third of the nuclear plus momentum; but their momentum distribution has support only at for vanishingly small values of the plus momentum, so the mesons do not contribute to nuclear deep inelastic scattering. This zero mode effect occurs because the meson fields are independent of space-time position.
We study deep inelastic scattering on isospin asymmetric nuclei. In particular, the difference of the nuclear structure functions and the Gottfried sum rule for the lightest mirror nuclei, 3He and 3H, are investigated. It is found that such systems can provide significant information on charge symmetry breaking and flavor asymmetry in the nuclear medium. Furthermore, we propose a new method to extract the neutron structure function from radioactive isotopes far from the line of stability. We also discuss the flavor asymmetry in the Drell-Yan process with isospin asymmetric nuclei.
A clustering aspect is explained for the $^9$Be nucleus in charged-lepton deep inelastic scattering. Nuclear modifications of the structure function $F_2$ are studied by the ratio $R_{\rm EMC} = F_2^A /F_2^D$, where $A$ and $D$ are a nucleus and the deuteron, respectively. In a JLab experiment, an unexpectedly large nuclear modification slope $|dR_{\rm EMC}/dx|$ was found for $^9$Be, which could be related to its clustering structure. We investigated a mean conventional part of a nuclear structure function $F_2^A$ by a convolution description with nucleon momentum distributions calculated by a…
Inelastic neutron scattering was used to study the low-lying nuclear structure of $^{132}$Xe. A comprehensive level scheme is presented, as well as new level lifetimes, multipole mixing ratios, branching ratios, and transition probabilities. Comparisons of these data as well as previously measured $E2$ strengths and $g$ factors are made with new shell-model calculations for $^{132,134,136}$Xe to explore the emergence of collectivity in the Xe isotopes with $N$ < 82 near the closed shell.
Nuclear excitation cross section of $^{229}$Th from the ground state to the low-lying isomeric state via inelastic electron scattering is calculated, on the level of Dirac distorted wave Born approximation. With electron energies below 100 eV, inelastic scattering is very efficient in the isomeric excitation, yielding excitation cross sections on the order of 10$^{-27}$ to 10$^{-26}$ cm$^2$. Systematic analyses are presented on elements affecting the excitation cross section, including the ion-core potential, the relativistic effect, the knowledge of the reduced nuclear transition probabilitie…
We consider the potential benefits of searching for supersymmetric dark-matter through its inelastic excitation, via the "scalar current", of low-lying collective nuclear states in a detector. If such states live long enough so that the gamma radiation from their decay can be separated from the signal due to nuclear recoil, then background can be dramatically reduced. We show how the kinematics of neutralino-nucleus scattering is modified when the nucleus is excited and derive expressions for the form factors associated with exciting collective states. We apply these results to two specific ca…
The experimental discovery that the nucleus is approximately transparent to low energy pions is reviewed. The consequences of this for nuclear deep inelastic scattering and Drell-Yan interactions are discussed. I argue that low energy nucleus data imply that there is little nuclear enhancement of the pion cloud of a nucleon, and try to interpret this in terms of nucleon-nucleon correlations.
Nuclear structure functions at small x and small or moderate $Q^2$ are studied using the relation with diffraction on nucleons which arises from Gribov's Reggeon Calculus. A reasonable description of experimental data is obtained with no fitted parameters. A comparison with other models and predictions for future lepton-ion colliders are provided. Consequences for the reduction of multiplicities in nucleus-nucleus collisions at energies of RHIC and LHC are examined.
We extend the study of nuclear dependence of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions and azimuthal asymmetries to semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) off polarized nuclear targets. We show that azimuthal asymmetries are suppressed for SIDIS off a polarized nuclear target relative to that off a polarized nucleon due to multiple scattering inside the nucleus. Using the value of transport parameter inside large nuclei extracted from jet quenching analyses in SIDIS off nuclear targets, we also present a numerical estimate of the nuclear suppression of the azimu…
We study the nuclear medium effects in the weak structure functions $F_2(x,Q^2)$ and $F_3(x,Q^2)$ in the deep inelastic neutrino/antineutrino reactions in nuclei. We use a theoretical model for the nuclear spectral functions which incorporates the conventional nuclear effects, such as Fermi motion, binding and nucleon correlations. We also consider the pion and rho meson cloud contributions calculated from a microscopic model for meson-nucleus self-energies. The calculations have been performed using relativistic nuclear spectral functions which include nucleon correlations. Our results are co…
We calculate production cross sections of a forward quark-gluon pair and of two gluons at mid-rapidity in Deep Inelastic Scattering and in high energy proton-nucleus collisions. The calculation is performed in the framework of the Color Glass Condensate formalism. We first calculate the cross sections in the quasi-classical approximation, which includes multiple rescatterings in the target. We then proceed to include the effects of non-linear small-x evolution in the production cross sections. It is interesting to note that our result for the two-gluon production cross section appears to be in…
We calculate $Λ$ and $\barΛ$ hadron production cross sections in charged lepton semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering off nuclear target ($A$, using iron $\mathrm{Fe}$ as an example) and deuteron ($D$) target. The results show that the ratio $(\barΛ^{A}/Λ^{A})/(\barΛ^{D}/Λ^{D})$ is sensitive to the sea quark content of the nucleus. We adopt three different models to take the nuclear EMC effect into account. The ratio $(\barΛ^{A}/Λ^{A})/(\barΛ^{D}/Λ^{D})$ is predicted to be different by these different models.
Dark Matter Inelastic Scattering with Nuclei for Direct Detection
State Key Laboratory of Dark Matter Physics, Tsung-Dao Lee Institute & School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院、暗物质物理国家重点实验室、李政道研究所）；Key Laboratory for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (MOE) & Shanghai Key Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学粒子天体物理与宇宙学教育部重点实验室、上海粒子物理与宇宙学重点实验室）；School of Physics, Beihang University（北京航空航天大学物理学院）
We present a time-dependent quantum algorithm for nuclear inelastic scattering in the time-dependent basis function on qubits approach. This algorithm aims to quantum simulate a subset of the nuclear inelastic scattering problems that are of physical interest, in which the internal degrees of freedom of the reaction system are excited by time-dependent external interactions. We expect that our algorithm will enable an exponential speedup in simulating the dynamics of the subset of the inelastic scattering problems, which would also be advantageous for the applications to more complicated scatt…
In this work we look at the low lying nuclear structure of several N=Z nuclei residing between the doubly magic nucei ^{40} Ca and ^{100} Sn. Using large shell model codes we calculate and discuus the systematics of enegies. We show energy levels, B(E2)'s, static quadrupule moments and g factors. In all cases we compare the results of 2 different interactions which yield significanly different occupation numbers. We compare with the simplest versions of the rotational and vibrational models. By examinnig B(E2)'s and static quadrupole moments we make associations with collective models find tha…
The cross sections are calculated for the both elastic and inelastic scattering of 6He from 12C and 4He. A phenomenological optical potential is used to describe the elastic scattering. 4He is taken as spherical and inelastic couplings to the first excited states of 6He and 12C are described with collective rotational model and coupled-channels method. Deformation lengths for 6He and 12C are determined from semi-classical nuclear level density model by using Laplace-like formula for the nuclear level density parameter. The comparison of the predicted and the measured cross sections are present…
The existence of a supernumerary nuclear rainbow in inelastic scattering is reported. This is done by studying inelastic $^{16}$O scattering from $^{12}$C, exciting the $2^+$ (4.44 MeV) state of $^{12}$C and elastic scattering at the incident energies in the range 124 to 200 MeV, using the coupled channels method. An extended double folding potential is used. This is derived from realistic wave functions for $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O calculated with a microscopic $α$ cluster model and a finite-range density-dependent nucleon-nucleon force. Excitations to the $2^+$ (4.44 MeV), 3$^-$ (9.64 MeV) and …
Neutrinos with energy of order 10~MeV, such as from pion decay-at-rest sources, are an invaluable tool for studying low-energy neutrino interactions with nuclei -- previously enabling the first measurement of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. Beyond elastic scattering, neutrinos and dark matter in this energy range also excite nuclei to its low-lying nuclear states, providing an additional physics channel. Here, we consider neutral-current inelastic neutrino-nucleus and dark matter(DM)-nucleus scattering off $^{40}$Ar, $^{133}$Cs, and $^{127}$I nuclei that are relevant to a number …
We have modelled parton distribution in nuclei using a suitably modified nuclear Fermi motion. The modifications concern the nucleon rest energy which changes the Björken x in nuclear medium. We also introduce final state interactions between the scattered nucleon and the rest of the nucleus. The energy-momentum sum rule is saturated. Good agreement with experimental data of the EMC effect for $x> 0.15$ and nuclear lepton pair production data has been obtained.
We study nuclear effects on the deuteron in the deep inelastic regime using the newest available data analyzing their $Q^2$ dependence. We conclude that precise EMC ratios for large $Q^2$ (> 30, GeV$^2$) cannot be obtained without considering these nuclear effects. For this purpose we use a scheme which parametrizes these effects in a simple manner and compare our results with other recent proposals.
We study nuclear effect in the $F^A_3(x)$ structure function in the deep inelastic neutrino reactions on iron by taking into account Fermi motion, binding, target mass correction, shadowing and anti-shadowing corrections. Calculations have been done in a local density approximation using relativistic nuclear spectral functions which include nucleon correlations for nuclear matter. Results for $F^A_3(x)$ have been compared with the results reported at NuTeV and also with some of the older experiments reported in the literature.
The nuclear enhancement observed in inelastic photoproduction of $J/Ψ$ should not be interpreted as evidence for an increased gluon density in nuclei. The nuclear suppression of the production rate due to initial and final state interactions is calculated and a novel two-step color exchange process is proposed, which is able to explain the data.
Colliding heavy nuclear systems in the deep-inelastic regime may undergo partitioning into multiple fragments when fusion can not be achieved. While multiple breakups are common at Fermi energy, they are rather exotic in the deep-inelastic regime, where density, excitation and, in general, transport conditions, are expected to be different. Abundant ternary and quaternary splits have been observed in recent experiments, for instance in symmetric semi-central and semi-peripheral collisions with heavy systems, like $^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ + $^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ at 15 MeV per nucleon. In these conditi…
The measurement of the nuclear structure function $F_2^A (x,Q^2)$ at the future electron-ion collider (EIC) will be of great relevance to understand the origin of the nuclear shadowing and to probe gluon saturation effects. Currently there are several phenomenological models, based on very distinct approaches, which describe the scarce experimental data quite successfully. One of main uncertainties comes from the schemes used to include the effects associated to the multiple scatterings and to unitarize the cross section. In this paper we compare the predictions of three different unitarizatio…
The nuclear medium effects are studied in the $ν_τ/\barν_τ$ interactions from nuclei in the deep inelastic scattering (DIS) region and applied to the $^{40}Ar$ nucleus to obtain the scattering cross sections in the energy region of the proposed DUNE experiment. The free nucleon structure functions ($F_{iN}(x,Q^2);~(i=1-5)$) have been calculated at the next-to-leading order (NLO) using Martin-Motylinski-Harland Lang-Thorne 2014 as well as The Coordinated Theoretical-Experimental Project on QCD parameterizations for parton distribution functions (PDFs) and including the effect of perturbative an…
Multiple scattering leads to transverse momentum broadening of the struck quark in semi-inclusive deeply inelastic scatterings (SIDIS). Nuclear broadening of the transverse momentum squared at the leading twist is determined by the twist-four collinear quark-gluon correlation function of the target nucleus that is in turn related to the jet transport parameter inside the nuclear medium. The twist-six contributions to the transverse momentum broadening are calculated as power corrections $\sim 1/Q^2$. Such power corrections are found to have no extra nuclear enhancement beyond the twist-four ma…
