Challenges to the Good-Walker paradigm in coherent and incoherent photoproduction

TL;DR

This paper examines the limitations of the Good-Walker paradigm in describing coherent and incoherent vector meson photoproduction at high energies, highlighting discrepancies with experimental data and proposing alternative insights.

Contribution

It critically analyzes the failure of the Good-Walker paradigm in explaining experimental observations and contrasts it with semi-classical approaches in high-energy nuclear photoproduction.

Findings

GW predictions conflict with experimental data on nuclear excitation

Differences in incoherent production on gold and lead targets are smaller than GW expects

Semi-classical models better match observed coherent production phenomena

Abstract

High-energy vector meson photoproduction is an important tool for studying the partonic structure of matter at low Bjorken$-x$. In the Good-Walker (GW) paradigm, the cross-section $d\sigma/dt$ for coherent production of vector mesons or other final states, depends the average transverse distribution of gluons, while the incoherent cross-section depends on fluctuations in the nuclear structure, due to variations in nucleon positions, and/or gluonic hot spots. However, predictions of the the GW paradigm seemingly conflict with data from multiple experiments which observe coherent production of vector mesons accompanied by nuclear excitation, or in peripheral relativistic heavy-ion collisions. These data are consistent with a simpler, semi-classical approach. We will discuss this contradiction and explore how and why GW fails. We will also contrast the significant differences in incoherent photoproduction on $^{197}$Au and $^{208}$Pb targets in the GW approach with the much smaller expected differences in their low$-x$ gluon content.