Nuclear matter effects on jet production at electron-ion colliders

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical study of jet production and substructure in electron-ion collisions, highlighting how nuclear effects influence observables and how to disentangle different nuclear phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces the first theoretical predictions for inclusive jet cross sections and jet charge modifications in electron-ion collisions using soft-collinear effective theory.

Findings

Predicted nuclear modifications of jet observables at EIC.

Demonstrated methods to separate nuclear PDF effects from final-state interactions.

Showed how EIC energy and coverage can optimize nuclear physics studies.

Abstract

Jet production and jet substructure in reactions with nuclei at future electron-ion colliders will play a preeminent role in the exploration of nuclear structure and the evolution of parton showers in strongly-interacting matter. In the framework of soft-collinear effective theory, generalized to include in-medium interactions, we present the first theoretical study of inclusive jet cross sections and the jet charge at the EIC. Predictions for the modification of these observables in electron-gold relative to electron-proton collisions reveal how the flexible center-of-mass energies and kinematic coverage at this new facility can be used to enhance the signal and maximize the impact of the electron-nucleus program. Importantly, we demonstrate theoretically how to disentangle the effects from nuclear parton distribution functions and the ones that arise from strong final-state interactions between the jet and the nuclear medium.