Accessing quark GPDs in diffractive events at an electron-ion collider

TL;DR

This paper explores how two collider processes involving diffractive events at an electron-ion collider can probe the nucleon's quark structure through generalized parton distributions, offering new insights into nucleon composition.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to access quark GPDs via specific diffractive processes involving rho mesons and lepton pairs or second mesons at an electron-ion collider.

Findings

Proposes two collider processes for GPD measurement.

Shows these processes effectively probe the nucleon quark content.

Provides theoretical framework for experimental analysis.

Abstract

We discuss two collider processes which combine a diffractively produced $\rho$ meson separated by a large rapidity gap from a hard exclusive scattering of a Pomeron on a nucleon, giving rise to a lepton pair or to a second meson. These two processes probe the nucleon quark content described by generalized parton distributions in a very specific way.