Accessing subnuclear fluctuations and saturation with multiplicity dependent $J/\psi$ production in p+p and p+Pb collisions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how $J/\psi$ production varies with charged hadron multiplicity in p+p and p+Pb collisions at LHC energies, using the color glass condensate framework to connect saturation effects with event activity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach combining saturation physics and event-by-event fluctuations to explain multiplicity-dependent $J/\psi$ production and rapidity asymmetries.

Findings

Forward-backward rapidity differences are linked to saturation effects.

Heavy-flavor production constrains fluctuating proton structure.

Multiplicity fluctuations are driven by geometric and saturation scale variations.

Abstract

We study the production of $J/\psi$ vector mesons as a function of charged hadron multiplicity in p+p and p+Pb collisions at LHC energies. We employ the color glass condensate framework, using running coupling Balitsky-Kovchegov evolved dipole amplitudes, to compute gluon and $c\bar{c}$-pair production. We use fragmentation functions to obtain charged hadrons, and explore two different hadronization schemes for the $J/\psi$: non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics and the improved color evaporation model. In our framework, event-by-event multiplicity fluctuations of both hadrons and $J/\psi$ are driven by geometric and saturation scale normalization fluctuations. Studying the correlation between $J/\psi$ and hadron multiplicity, we show that the characteristic difference between forward and backward rapidity in p+Pb collisions is a result of different degrees of saturation probed at different rapidities. We demonstrate that experimental data on heavy-flavor production as a function of event activity provide stringent constraints on the fluctuating proton structure.