The team achieved several scientific breakthroughs that mark significant progress in our ability to make precise predictions with QCD. Here are the main achievements:
1. Precise Predictions for Particle Collisions:
The project produced cutting-edge calculations describing how particles within the proton, such as quarks and gluons, interact and evolve when protons are struck by high-energy electrons. These calculations are performed at a level of precision known in the scientific community as “next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order” (N3LO), which reduces uncertainties to about 1%—an unprecedented level for this type of work.
2. Innovative Mathematical Techniques:
To achieve this precision, the team developed a new method to reconstruct complex formulas describing how particles' properties change, starting from a manageable amount of computer-generated data. This approach, inspired by mathematical symmetry principles and number theory, is now being adopted by other scientists working in related fields.
3. Advances in Understanding Proton Spin:
The work improved the theoretical foundation needed to study how the spin of the proton arises from its constituents, a question directly addressed by experiments at the EIC. New calculations of "polarized" particle interactions—those in which the spin orientation is tracked—ensure that future data on the proton’s spin structure can be interpreted with high accuracy.
4. Tools for the Next Generation of Experiments:
All achievements were made possible by the development and sharing of advanced computer programs and algebraic methods, as well as by close collaboration with the wider international community of physicists. These tools are freely available and will support analysis at current and future particle collision experiments.
5. Publications in Leading Scientific Journals:
The importance of these results is reflected by their publication in top-level peer-reviewed journals, amplifying their global scientific impact.
