Geometric Scaling and Gluon Saturation at the EIC

6 May 2026, 11:20
20m
Sala SATURNO A, First Floor (Hotel Carlton)

Sala SATURNO A, First Floor

Hotel Carlton

Talk WG2 Small-x, Diffraction and Vector Mesons WG2 Small-x, diffraction and vector mesons

Speaker

Rojae Mighty

Description

Understanding the structure of protons and nuclei in terms of quarks and gluons is one of the key goals in science. Results from RHIC suggest the existence of a new state of matter known as gluon saturation. The idea is, at high energies, gluons, due to their self-interactions multiply rapidly; however, when their density becomes very large, recombination effects set in, leading to saturation where the gluon density stops growing. One of the objectives of the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) in the US is to probe this saturation regime. This work presents a study of geometric scaling in eA collisions via charged particle multiplicities and their dependence on the impact parameter (b).

Geometric scaling is an elegant signature of such physics, where observables scale with a universal variable dependent on 𝑥, Q², and b. We propose to investigate geometric scaling of multiplicity distributions at the EIC using pseudodata generated with BeAGLE, a Monte Carlo event generator. BeAGLE includes an intra-nuclear cascade to model final-state interactions within the nucleus. We will use these simulations to test scaling and universality across different nuclear targets. Additionally, studying the dependence of multiplicities on impact parameter allows us to probe the spatial geometry of gluons inside the target. This work directly supports the EIC’s science goals and helps shape expectations for future experimental data.

Speaker confirmation Yes

Authors

Rojae Mighty Dr Arjun Kumar (Stony Brook University) Zhoudunming Tu (Brookhaven National Laboratory) Rojae Mighty

Presentation materials