Towards an integrated determination of proton, deuteron and nuclear PDFs

TL;DR

This paper advances a unified framework for determining proton, deuteron, and nuclear PDFs simultaneously, integrating existing fitting methods to enable comprehensive non-perturbative QCD analysis crucial for future collider experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a combined fitting approach that merges proton and nuclear PDF analyses, facilitating a full integrated global analysis of non-perturbative QCD.

Findings

Progress towards a unified PDF determination framework

Integration of nuclear and proton PDF fitting methodologies

Foundation for comprehensive analysis for future nuclear physics facilities

Abstract

We present progress towards a unified framework enabling the simultaneous determination of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton, deuteron, and nuclei up to lead $(^{208}\rm{Pb})$. Our approach is based on the integration of the fitting framework underlying the nNNPDF3.0 determination of nuclear PDFs into that adopted for the NNPDF4.0 global analysis of proton PDFs. Our work paves the way toward a full integrated global analysis of non-perturbative QCD -- a key ingredient for the exploitation of the scientific potential of present and future nuclear and particle physics facilities such as the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC).