2015/03/11 by Emanuele R. Nocera
Physics and Astronomy · #Asymmetry #Collider #Distribution function #Gluon #Heavy ion #Helicity #High-Energy Particle Collisions Research #Ion #Large Hadron Collider #Nuclear physics #Particle physics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Parton #Perturbative QCD #Physics #Proton #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #Quantum chromodynamics #Quantum mechanics #Quark #Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s2010194516600168
8 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Spin Physics (SPIN2014)
arxiv created 2015/03/11 · openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · arxiv updated 2016/03/23 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
I review the current status of the determination of helicity-dependent, or polarized, parton distribution functions from a comprehensive analysis of experimental data in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. I illustrate the latest achievements driven by new measurements in polarized proton-proton collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, namely the first evidence of a sizable polarized light sea quark asymmetry and of a positive polarized gluon distribution in the proton. I discuss which are the open issues in the determination of polarized distributions, and how these may be addressed in the future by ongoing, planned and proposed experimental programs.