Parton energy loss or nuclear absorption: What quenches hadron spectra at HERA ?

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether parton energy loss or nuclear absorption is responsible for the suppression of hadron spectra observed in deep inelastic scattering on nuclear targets, proposing observables to distinguish these effects.

Contribution

It introduces two new observables that can help differentiate between parton energy loss and nuclear absorption as causes of hadron spectrum attenuation.

Findings

Proposed observables to identify the attenuation mechanism.

Analysis suggests potential to clarify the dominant process.

Provides a framework for experimental verification.

Abstract

We suggest and explore two observables which may clarify the origin of the attenuation of semi-inclusive hadron production reported in DIS on nuclear targets.