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A look inside the proton: polarized transverse momentum dependent parton distributions for modern collider experiments

Project description

Research could provide further insight into the 3D structure of protons

A central goal of particle physics is to understand the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the protons from the dynamics of the quarks and gluons (collectively known as partons) they consist of. This interaction is described by quantum chromodynamics. This 3D structure needs to be extracted from experimental data and be encoded into transverse momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ProtonSpin project will study polarised TMDs that are key to addressing several questions related to the spin configuration of the proton (proton spin puzzle) and the internal motion of partons.

Objective

One of the big open challenges in contemporary particle physics is the quest for the three-dimensional structure of the proton, a principal building block of all visible matter. According to the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics, which is well-established since the mid-seventies, the proton is a composite particle built from elementary point-like particles known as quarks and gluons, or collectively 'partons'. A simple picture in which these quarks and gluons are quasi-free and move alongside their parent proton, is often very successful in describing experiments at particle colliders. However, this so-called 'collinear' framework is challenged in many experiments that are sensitive to the internal motion of the partons or to the spin degrees of freedom. Moreover, being strictly one-dimensional, it cannot account for some of the proton's main properties such as its spin, a long-standing and still unresolved problem known as the proton spin puzzle. Hence, in order to formulate an answer to such fundamental questions, it is necessary to explore the full three-dimensional structure of the proton. This structure needs to be extracted from experimental data, and can be encoded into so-called transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). In this research project, I will study polarized TMDs, which are nowadays still very poorly known but are key to solve the aforementioned puzzles. For my study, I will capitalize on a new approach to TMD phenomenology, the Parton Branching method, as well as recent data from COMPASS at CERN, HERMES at DESY, and Hall A at JLab. This project is extremely timely, since the study of TMDs is a driving force behind several proposed new experiments in the US and in Europe, such as the recently approved Electron-Ion Collider.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 178 320,00
Address
PRINSSTRAAT 13
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium

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Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Antwerpen Arr. Antwerpen
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 178 320,00
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