Coherent vector meson production at an electron ion collider

TL;DR

This paper discusses predictions for coherent vector meson production at an Electron-Ion Collider, using a Monte Carlo generator to analyze distributions and rates for various mesons in electron-proton and electron-ion collisions.

Contribution

It introduces the eSTARlight Monte Carlo generator for simulating exclusive vector meson production and provides detailed predictions for different mesons across various collision energies.

Findings

Predicted production rates for $ ho$, $ ho'$, $ ho$, $ ho'$, J/$ ext{psi}$, $ ext{psi'}$, and $ ext{Upsilon}$ states.

Distributions and cross sections vary with energy and target type, informing detector design.

Insights into gluon structure and saturation effects in nuclei.

Abstract

Exclusive vector meson electroproduction over a broad $Q^2$ range offers a unique opportunity to probe the gluon structure of nuclei to measure nuclear shadowing, and to search for gluon saturation and/or the colored glass condensate at an Electron-Ion Collider. Understanding the kinematic distributions and cross sections for specific processes can impact detector design to maximize their acceptance and strengthen the physics case. We will discuss predictions from a Monte Carlo generator eSTARlight, a tool developed to study production of exclusive vector meson final states. We present final state distributions and production rates for the $\rho$, $\phi$, J/$\psi$, $\psi'$ and the $\Upsilon$ states in $ep$ and $eA$ collisions at the different energies.