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The SPD project at NICA

A. Guskov

TL;DR

The paper presents the Spin Physics Detector (SPD) at the NICA collider as a universal facility to study polarized and unpolarized gluon content of proton and deuteron in polarized $p$-$p$ and $d$-$d$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} \le 27$ GeV and luminosity up to $10^{32}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. It outlines three main probes—inclusive production of charmonia, open charm, and high-$p_T$ prompt photons—for accessing gluon TMD PDFs, gluon helicity $\Delta g(x)$, gluon transversity, and tensor PDFs in the deuteron, complemented by SSA measurements and an energy scan to test factorization. It also describes the NICA facility, the SPD detector design including a high-precision vertex detector, tracking, PID, electromagnetic calorimetry, and a triggerless DAQ, as well as the staged construction and initial physics program at reduced energy. The work positions SPD as a unique facility to explore the gluon content across the nonperturbative to perturbative QCD transition, filling a niche before EIC-like machines and RHIC, and invites international collaboration.

Abstract

The Spin Physics Detector (SPD) is a universal detector in the one of two interaction points of the NICA collider under construction at JINR, Dubna. SPD plans to study the spin structure of the proton and deuteron and other spin-related phenomena using a unique possibility to operate with polarized proton and deuteron beams at a collision energy up to 27 GeV and a luminosity up to $10^{32}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. As the main goal, the experiment aims to provide access to the gluon TMD PDFs in the proton and deuteron, as well as the gluon transversity distribution and tensor PDFs in the deuteron, via the measurements of specific single and double spin asymmetries using different complementary probes such as charmonia, open charm, and prompt photon production processes. Other polarized and unpolarized physics is possible, especially at the first stage of NICA operation with reduced luminosity and collision energy of the proton and ion beams. Construction of the first stage of the SPD facility is included in the JINR seven-year development plan for 2024-2030. The physics program of the SPD project and the design of the SPD setup are presented.

The SPD project at NICA

TL;DR

The paper presents the Spin Physics Detector (SPD) at the NICA collider as a universal facility to study polarized and unpolarized gluon content of proton and deuteron in polarized - and - collisions at GeV and luminosity up to cm s. It outlines three main probes—inclusive production of charmonia, open charm, and high- prompt photons—for accessing gluon TMD PDFs, gluon helicity , gluon transversity, and tensor PDFs in the deuteron, complemented by SSA measurements and an energy scan to test factorization. It also describes the NICA facility, the SPD detector design including a high-precision vertex detector, tracking, PID, electromagnetic calorimetry, and a triggerless DAQ, as well as the staged construction and initial physics program at reduced energy. The work positions SPD as a unique facility to explore the gluon content across the nonperturbative to perturbative QCD transition, filling a niche before EIC-like machines and RHIC, and invites international collaboration.

Abstract

The Spin Physics Detector (SPD) is a universal detector in the one of two interaction points of the NICA collider under construction at JINR, Dubna. SPD plans to study the spin structure of the proton and deuteron and other spin-related phenomena using a unique possibility to operate with polarized proton and deuteron beams at a collision energy up to 27 GeV and a luminosity up to cm s. As the main goal, the experiment aims to provide access to the gluon TMD PDFs in the proton and deuteron, as well as the gluon transversity distribution and tensor PDFs in the deuteron, via the measurements of specific single and double spin asymmetries using different complementary probes such as charmonia, open charm, and prompt photon production processes. Other polarized and unpolarized physics is possible, especially at the first stage of NICA operation with reduced luminosity and collision energy of the proton and ion beams. Construction of the first stage of the SPD facility is included in the JINR seven-year development plan for 2024-2030. The physics program of the SPD project and the design of the SPD setup are presented.
Paper Structure (5 sections, 6 figures)

This paper contains 5 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. NICA facility
  3. Physics program
  4. SPD experimental setup
  5. Summary

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: NICA complex at JINR.
  • Figure 2: Partonic-level diagrams illustrating production of (a) charmonium, (b) open charm, and (c) prompt photons..
  • Figure 3: (a) The kinematic coverage in the ($x$-$Q^2$) plane for present and future polarized experiments. The domain expected to be covered by NICA SPD by the main gluon probes is shown in blue. (b) Cross-sections for the processes of open charm, $J/\psi$, $\psi(2S)$ and prompt photons ($p_T > 3$ GeV/$c$) production as a function of $\sqrt{s}$.
  • Figure 4: Luminosity of polarized hadronic collisions as a function of the center-of-mass energy for the past, present and future general-purpose experiments.
  • Figure 5: General layout of the SPD setup.
  • ...and 1 more figures