Gluon TMDs and Opportunities at an EIC

TL;DR

This paper explores how a future Electron-Ion Collider can probe gluon transverse momentum distributions by analyzing meson production asymmetries, indicating feasible measurements within current theoretical bounds.

Contribution

It proposes a method to measure gluon TMDs at an EIC through azimuthal asymmetries in meson production, emphasizing model-independent bounds.

Findings

Asymmetries could be sizable and measurable.

Feasibility of probing gluon TMDs at an EIC.

Model-independent bounds support measurement prospects.

Abstract

We show how transverse momentum dependent gluon distributions could be probed at a future Electron-Ion Collider through the analysis of transverse momentum spectra and azimuthal asymmetries in the inclusive electroproduction of $J/\psi$ and $\Upsilon$ mesons. The maximum values of these asymmetries, obtained in a model-independent way by imposing the positivity bounds of the polarized gluon distributions, suggest the feasibility of the proposed measurements.