A review of the intrinsic heavy quark content of the nucleon

TL;DR

This review summarizes current knowledge on the intrinsic charm and bottom quark content of the nucleon, emphasizing theoretical, experimental, and future collider approaches, especially the potential of the AFTER@LHC experiment.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of theoretical models, experimental constraints, and highlights the potential of the AFTER@LHC experiment to detect intrinsic charm.

Findings

Intrinsic charm and bottom content are constrained by global analyses.

Collider observables can be sensitive to intrinsic heavy quark distributions.

High-luminosity fixed target experiments like AFTER@LHC could detect intrinsic charm.

Abstract

We present a review of the state-of-the-art of our understanding of the intrinsic charm and bottom content of the nucleon. We discuss theoretical calculations, constraints from global analyses, and collider observables sensitive to the intrinsic heavy quark distributions. A particular emphasis is put on the potential of a high-energy and high-luminosity fixed target experiment using the LHC beams (AFTER@LHC) to search for intrinsic charm.