Jet Charge: A Flavor Prism for Spin Asymmetries at the EIC

TL;DR

This paper introduces the jet charge observable as a new method to enhance flavor sensitivity in nucleon spin studies at the EIC, enabling better constraints on partonic flavor contributions to spin asymmetries.

Contribution

It proposes using jet charge measurements, including specific hadron subsets, to improve flavor discrimination in spin asymmetry analyses at the EIC.

Findings

Jet charge can significantly improve flavor sensitivity in spin asymmetry measurements.

Using pions or kaons in jet charge further enhances flavor discrimination.

Jet charge provides a unique tool for constraining the Sivers function for different flavors.

Abstract

We propose the jet charge observable as a novel probe of flavor structure in the nucleon spin program at the Electron Ion Collider (EIC). We show that jet charge measurements can substantially enhance the sensitivity of spin asymmetries to different partonic flavors in the nucleon. This sensitivity can be further improved by constructing the jet charge using only a subset of hadron species (pions or kaons) in the jet. As an example, we use the Sivers asymmetry in back-to-back electron-jet production at the EIC to show that the jet charge can be a unique tool in constraining the Sivers function for different partonic flavors.