Quark Energy Loss and Shadowing in Nuclear Drell-Yan Process

The energy loss effect in nuclear matter is another nuclear effect apart from the nuclear effects on the parton distribution as in deep inelastic scattering process. The quark energy loss can be measured best by the nuclear dependence of the high energy nuclear Dre11-Yan process. By means of three kinds of quark energy loss parameterizations given in literature and the nuclear parton distribution extracted only with lepton-nucleus deep inelastic scattering experimental data, measured Dre11-Yan production cross sections are analyzed for 800 GeV proton incident on a variety of nuclear targets from FNAL E866. It is shown that our results with considering the energy loss effect are much different from those of the FNAL E866, who analyzes the experimental data with the nuclear parton distribution functions obtained by using the deep inelastic IA collisions and pA nuclear Drell-Yan data. Considering the existence of energy loss effect in Drell-Yan lepton pairs production, we suggest that the extraction of nuclear parton distribution functions shoul““““d not include Dre11-Yan experimental data.     

Quark Energy Loss and Shadowing in Nuclear Drell-Yan Process

The energy loss effect in nuclear matter is another nuclear effect apart from the nuclear effects on the parton distribution as in deep inelastic scattering process. The quark energy loss can be measured best by the nuclear dependence of the high energy nuclear Drell-Yan process. By means of three kinds of quark energy loss parameterizations given in literature and the nuclear parton distribution extracted only with lepton-nucleus deep inelastic scattering experimental data, measured Drell-Yan production cross sections are analyzed for 800 GeV proton incident on a variety of nuclear targets from FNAL E866. It is shown that our results with considering the energy loss effect are much different from those of the FNAL E866, who analyzes the experimental data with the nuclear parton distribution functions obtained by using the deep inelastic IA collisions and pA nuclear Drell-Yan data. Considering the existence of energy loss effect in Drell-Yan lepton pairs production, we suggest that the extraction of nuclear parton distribution functions should not include Drell-Yan experimental data.     

能量损失效应引起的核Drell-Yan微分截面比的压低

核环境中夸克的能量损失可以通过高能核Drell-Yan过程的核依赖进行测量. 利用文献中给出的夸克能量损失公式和从轻子－原子核深度非弹性散射实验数 据得到的束缚核子中的部分子分布函数, 计算了FNAL E772 800GeV的质子打击不同原子核的Drell-Yan过程截面比, 发现考虑能量损失的计算结果与FNAL E772实验数据符合甚好. 建议在利用核Drell-Yan过程实验数据抽取束缚核子内部分子分布函数时应该考虑能量损失效应.     

微扰QCD对Drell-Yan过程能量损失效应的修正

利用Glauber模型以及DGLAP方程下的核内核子的部分子分布函数, 在次领头阶QCD下计算了Drell-Yan过程中的能量损失效应, 计算表明QCD修正并不能改善理论结果与试验结果的符合, 尤其是p-W与p-Be以x₁为变量的微分截面比. 原因是所用的核内核子部分子的分布函数是以领头阶近似为基础并通过演化方程得到的. 于是利用在次领头阶微扰QCD下得到的核遮蔽效应核内核子的部分子分布函数重新计算了次领头阶QCD修正对Drell-Yan过程能量损失的贡献. 计算结果表明康普顿散射过程与湮没过程中应该有更多的能量损失.     

Nuclear parton distribution functions and energy-loss effect in the Drell-Yan reaction off nuclei

The energy-loss effect in nuclear matter is another nuclear effect apart from the nuclear effects on the parton distribution as in deep inelastic scattering process. The quark energy loss can be measured best by the nuclear dependence of the high energy nuclear Drell-Yan process. By means of two typical kinds of quark energy-loss parametrization and the different sets of nuclear parton distribution functions, we present an analysis of the E866 experiments on the nuclear dependence of Drell-Yan lepton pair production resulting from the bombardment of Be, Fe and W targets by 800 GeV protons at Fermilab. It is found that the quark energy loss in cold nuclei is strongly dependent on the used nuclear parton distribution functions. The further prospects of using relatively low energy protons incident on nuclear targets are presented by combining the quark energy-loss rate determined from a fit to the E866 nuclear-dependent ratios versus x ₁, with the nuclear parton distribution functions given from lA deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data. The experimental study of the relatively low energy nuclear Drell-Yan process can give valuable insight in the energy loss of the fast quark propagating through cold nuclei and help to pin down nuclear parton distribution functions.Received: 8 September 2004, Revised: 18 October 2004, Published online: 11 January 2005PACS: 24.85. + p, 13.85.Qk, 25.40.-h, 25.75.Nq     

Nuclear corrections in neutrino-nucleus deep inelastic scattering and their compatibility with global nuclear parton-distribution-function analyses

We perform a global χ2 analysis of nuclear parton distribution functions using data from charged current neutrino-nucleus (νA) deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), charged-lepton-nucleus (?(±)A) DIS, and the Drell-Yan (DY) process. We show that the nuclear corrections in νA DIS are not compatible with the predictions derived from ?(±)A DIS and DY data. We quantify this result using a hypothesis-testing criterion based on the χ2 distribution which we apply to the total χ2 as well as to the χ2 of the individual data sets. We find that it is not possible to accommodate the data from νA and ?(±)A DIS by an acceptable combined fit. Our result has strong implications for the extraction of both nuclear and proton parton distribution functions using combined neutrino and charged-lepton data sets.     

Influence of quark energy loss on extracting nuclear sea quark distribution from nuclear Drell-Yan experimental data

By means of two typical kinds of quark energy loss parametrization and the nuclear parton distribu-tions determined only with lepton-nuclear deep inelastic scattering experimental data, a leading order analysis is performed on the proton-induced Drell-Yau differential cross section ratios of tungsten versus deuterium as a function of the quark momentum fraction in the beam proton and target nuclei. It is found that the theoretical results with quark energy loss are in good agreement with the experimental data. The quark energy loss effect produces approximately 3% to 11% suppression on the Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios RW/D in the range 0.05 ≤ x2≤ 0.3. The application of nuclear Drell-Yan data with heavy targets is remarkably subject to difficulty in the constraint of the nuclear sea quark distribution.     

Influence of quark energy loss on extracting nuclear sea quark distribution from nuclear Drell-Yan experimental data

By means of two typical kinds of quark energy loss parametrization and the nuclear parton distributions determined only with lepton-nuclear deep inelastic scattering experimental data, a leading order analysis is performed on the proton-induced Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios of tungsten versus deuterium as a function of the quark momentum fraction in the beam proton and target nuclei. It is found that the theoretical results with quark energy loss are in good agreement with the experimental data. The quark energy loss effect produces approximately 3% to 11% suppression on the Drell-Yan differential cross section ratios R_W/D in the range 0.05≤x₂≤0.3. The application of nuclear Drell-Yan data with heavy targets is remarkably subject to difficulty in the constraint of the nuclear sea quark distribution.     

p-A Drell-Yan Process in the Target Rest Frame

At high energies, Drell-Yan process can be viewed in the target rest frame as bremsstrahlung of massive photons, rather than parton annihilation. In this paper, the ratio of the p-A Drell-Yan cross section per nucleon for an 800 GeV proton beam incident on Fe, W, and Be targets are calculated by means of the color dipole approach in the target rest system. It is shown that our calculations can quite well fit the Fermilab E866 experimental data with considering the nuclear shadowing effect in p-A Drell-Yan process and without the energy loss effect in it.     

Partonic energy loss and the Drell-Yan process

We examine the current status of the extraction of the rate of partonic energy loss in nuclei from A-dependent data. The advantages and difficulties of using the Drell-Yan process to measure the energy loss of a parton traversing a cold nuclear medium are discussed. The prospects of using relatively low energy proton beams for a definitive measurement of partonic energy loss are presented.     

xF (or y)-Dependence of Nuclear Absorption and Energy Loss Effects onJ/ψ Production

By means of the nuclear parton distribution studied only with lepton deep-inelastic scattering experimental data, the J/ψ ``normal nuclear absorption' and energy loss effects are studied in a Glauber formalism at HERA and RHIC energies. Assuming that the absorption cross section σ_abs increases with thecharmonium-nucleon center of mass energy, the results reveal a significant dependence of the σ_abs on rapidity y at RHIC energies. The initial-state energy loss effect, which is found important only at HERA energies, is also considered, and its influence should be eliminated when we studied the absorption effect at low collision energies. Finally, we also present the theoretical prediction for LHC.     

Comparisons Between Additional Parton Evolution and Q2-Rescaling Models Based on Recombination Effect

Comparisons between the additional parton evolution (APE) model and Q²-rescaling (QR) model based on the recombination effect are made by means of investigating deep-inelastic (DIS) structure functions F₂^A, nuclear Drell-Yan process and nuclear gluon distributions. While explaining experimentally measured F₂^A(x) structure functions, the difference in the recombination results of the two models mainly lies in their sensitivity to input parton distributions and Q²-dependence. In predicting the nuclear Drell-Yan ratio, the APE model gives more reasonable results in the small x region than those of the QR model. The two motlels offer similar predictions of the nuclear gluon ratio G_sn(x)/G_c(x) which are extracted from the inelastic J/ψ production process.     

Universality of soft and collinear factors in hard-scattering factorization

Universality in QCD factorization of parton densities, fragmentation functions, and soft factors is endangered by the process dependence of the directions of Wilson lines in their definitions. We find a choice of directions that is consistent with factorization and that gives universality between e(+)e(-) annihilation, semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering, and the Drell-Yan process. Universality is only modified by a time-reversal transformation of the soft function and parton densities between Drell-Yan and the other processes, whose only effect is the known reversal of sign for T-odd parton densities such as the Sivers function. The modifications of the definitions needed to remove rapidity divergences with lightlike Wilson lines do not affect the results.     

Nuclear shadowing and Drell-Yan production on heavy nuclei

The suggestion that nuclear shadowing in deep inelastic scattering is primarily a parton phenomenon is extended to the Drell-Yan reaction on heavy nuclei. The nuclear structure functions required to describe the latter process are found to be compatible with those obtained from an analysis of the shadowing data, and lend weight to the hypothesis that this is indeed a parton phenomenon.     

Energy Loss Effect in High-Energy Drell-Yan Dimuon Process

By means of the nuclear parton distribution obtained from DGLAP equation,measured Drell-Yan production cross sections for 800 GeV proton incident on a variety of nuclear targets are analyzed within Glauber framework with takes into account energy loss of the beam proton.It is shown that the theoretical results are in good agreement with the FNAL E866．     

A possible determination of the quark radiation length in cold nuclear matter

We calculate the differential Drell-Yan production cross section in proton-nucleus collisions by including both next-to-leading order perturbative effects and effects of the nuclear medium. We demonstrate that dilepton production in fixed target experiments is an excellent tool to study initial-state parton energy loss in large nuclei and to accurately determine the stopping power of cold nuclear matter. We provide theoretical predictions for the attenuation of the Drell-Yan cross section at large values of Feynman xF and show that for low proton beam energies experimental measurements at Fermilab?s E906 can clearly distinguish between nuclear shadowing and energy loss effects. If confirmed by data, our results may help determine the quark radiation length in cold nuclear matter X₀∼¹⁰−13 m.     

粲夸克对在质子-原子核碰撞J/ψ 产生过程中的能量损失

高能重离子碰撞热核环境中J/ψ产额的压低被认为是夸克胶子等离子体生成的重要信号。研究冷核物质中各种核效应对J/ψ 形成过程的影响,是准确理解热核环境中核效应对J/ψ产额压低机制的重要途径。研究了质子-原子核碰撞J/ψ 产生过程中初态部分子分布函数的核效应、入射质子的能量损失效应、以及末态粲夸克对能量损失效应对J/ψ 粒子产额的压低作用,对质子-原子核碰撞J/ψ产生过程的微分截面比R_Fe/Be(xF)进行了领头阶的唯象分析,并与E866 实验数据中代表J/ψ粒子在靶核外产生的实验数据进行比较,获取了粲夸克对的能量损失值(3.81±1.71) GeV/fm。研究结果表明,部分子分布函数的核效应对截面比RFe=Be(xF) 的压低作用在xF > 0区域是随着xF 的增大而增大的;末态粲夸克对的能量损失效应是影响J= 粒子产额压低的重要核效应;当xF较大时(0:65≤xF≤0.92),初态入射质子的能量损失效应在对微分截面比R_Fe/Be(xF)的压低中起了主要作用。J/ψ suppression observed in hot nuclear matter from heavy-ion collisions is considered as a most reliable signature for the formation of Quark-Gluon Plasma. The study about the nuclear effects on J/ψ production in cold nuclear matter provides an important tool for clarifying the conventional nuclear suppression mechanism in heavy-ion collisions. J/ψ suppression in p-A collisions is studied by considering the nuclear effects on parton distribution, the energy loss of beam proton in initial state, and the finial state energy loss of c¯c pair.The leading-order computations for J/ψ production cross-section ratios RFe=Be(xF) are presented and compared with the selected E866 experimental data with the J/ψ production occurring outside the nucleus, the obtained energy loss of the color octet is (3.81±1.71) GeV/fm. It is found that the nuclear suppression from the nuclear effects on the parton distribution functions becomes larger as the increase of xF in the range xF > 0,the J/ψ suppression on R_Fe/Be(xF) induced by the energy loss of color octet c¯c is an important nuclear effect, in the region 0:656xF 60:92, the energy loss of beam proton in initial state is the dominant mechanism which causes a reduction of the J/ψ yield.     

Nuclear Structure in High Energy Scattering Processes

We suggest that in hard scattering processes the nuclear medium can be viewed as a background parton sea where the bound nucleons are "soaked". The quark and gluon distributions in nuclei are investigated under this assumption. The comparisons of this model with the experimental data of the structure function ratio from charged lepton deep inelastic scattering, the gluon momentum distribution ratio from inelastic J/Ψ production, and the dimuon yield ratio from Drell-Yan dimuon production are present.     

Energy loss of fast quarks in nuclei

We report an analysis of the nuclear dependence of the yield of Drell-Yan dimuons from the 800 GeV/c proton bombardment of 2H, C, Ca, Fe, and W targets. Employing a new formulation of the Drell-Yan process in the rest frame of the nucleus, this analysis examines the effect of initial-state energy loss and shadowing on the nuclear-dependence ratios versus the incident proton's momentum fraction and dimuon effective mass. The resulting energy loss per unit path length is -dE/dz = 2.32+/-0.52+/-0.5 GeV/fm. This is the first observation of a nonzero energy loss of partons traveling in a nuclear environment.