The RHIC SPIN Program: Achievements and Future Opportunities

TL;DR

The RHIC spin program has significantly advanced understanding of proton structure and QCD through spin-dependent measurements, revealing new insights and setting the stage for future discoveries in fundamental physics.

Contribution

This paper summarizes key achievements of the RHIC spin program and outlines future opportunities for exploring spin phenomena in high-energy physics.

Findings

Revealed spin contributions to proton structure

Identified deficits in existing theoretical models

Set the stage for future spin physics experiments

Abstract

Time and again, spin has been a key element in the exploration of fundamental physics. Spin-dependent observables have often revealed deficits in the assumed theoretical framework and have led to novel developments and concepts. Spin is exploited in many parity-violating experiments searching for physics beyond the Standard Model or studying the nature of nucleon-nucleon forces. The RHIC spin program plays a special role in this grand scheme: it uses spin to study how a complex many-body system such as the proton arises from the dynamics of QCD. Many exciting results from RHIC spin have emerged to date, most of them from RHIC running after the 2007 Long Range Plan. In this document we present highlights from the RHIC program to date and lay out the roadmap for the significant advances that are possible with future RHIC running.