A simple model for the nuclear unintegrated gluon distribution

TL;DR

This paper proposes a simple parameterization of the nuclear unintegrated gluon distribution based on asymptotic solutions of the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation, effectively describing nuclear shadowing at small-x in high-energy QCD.

Contribution

It introduces a straightforward model for the unintegrated gluon distribution that captures saturation effects and aligns with experimental data on nuclear shadowing.

Findings

Successful description of nuclear shadowing at small-x

Qualitative agreement with experimental data

Highlights the relevance of saturation effects in high-energy nuclear collisions

Abstract

The solution of non-linear evolution equations for dense nuclear gluon density has been suggested as one of the relevant mechanisms of pA and AA collisions at collider energies. Here we study a simple parameterization for the unintegrated gluon distribution using the knowledge of asymptotic solutions of the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation, describing high-energy QCD in the presence of saturation effects. A satisfactory description of nuclear shadowing at small-x is obtained and it allows us to understand the qualitative behavior shown by data.