Speaker
Description
The production mechanisms of light nuclei, particularly the coalescence model, have become a focal point of research in collider experiments. While hadron–hadron collisions have been extensively used to study light (anti)nuclei across a broad energy spectrum, the complexity of these interactions often obscures the underlying kinematics.
Deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) systems, such as electron–proton collisions, offer a cleaner, complementary environment due to their well-defined initial state. In particular, in the forward proton fragmentation region, the production of light (anti)nuclei is highly sensitive to the proton's valence quark structure. This makes it a powerful observable for probing proton structure and testing the coalescence mechanism in a controlled lepton–hadron environment.
In this work, we present predictions for light (anti)nuclei production via the coalescence model, implemented as an afterburner in PYTHIA simulations. We study electron–proton collisions at HERA energies and explore new kinematic regimes accessible at the future Electron–Ion Collider (EIC).
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