Abstract
We compare the relative importance of different mechanisms for polarized production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering processes at large . The transverse momentum dependent (TMD) factorization framework and nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics are used to study the leading contributions from light quark fragmentation to polarized , and compared to direct production via photon-gluon fusion, which can proceed through color-singlet as well as color-octet mechanisms. We identify kinematic regimes where light quark fragmentation dominates, allowing for the extraction of the matrix element, as well as regimes where photon gluon fusion dominates, suggesting that the gluon TMD parton distribution function can be probed.
- Received 27 November 2023
- Accepted 6 March 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.074032
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.
Published by the American Physical Society