Multiprocess imaging of nuclear modifications on parton distributions in proton-nucleus collisions

Abstract

Nuclear modifications to collinear parton distribution functions are conventionally quantified by the ratios $ r^{\textrm{A}}_i(x,Q^2) = f^\textrm{A,proton}_i(x,Q^2) / f^\textrm{proton}_i(x,Q^2) $. For a given nucleus $A$, these ratios generally depend on the parton momentum fraction $ x $, the probing scale $ Q^{2} $, and the parton species $ i $. Determining these dependencies relies on a global analysis of diverse experimental data. However, in realistic observables, these dependencies are intricately intertwined, making their extraction challenging. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to effectively image the nuclear modification factors $ r^{\textrm{A}}_i(x,Q^2) $ at the observable level in proton-nucleus collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Specifically, through a combined study of $ Z $-boson production, $ Z $+jet production, and $ Z+c $-jet production, we separately enhance signals arising from light-quark, gluon, and heavy-flavor (charm) distributions in nuclei. This enables us to effectively image the $ r^{\textrm{A}}_i(x,Q^2) $ for specific parton species. The feasibility of this method is validated through perturbative calculations at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant, employing three sets of nuclear PDF parametrizations: EPPS21, nCTEQ15, and TUJU19. Future measurements of these observables are expected to provide more efficient constraints on nuclear PDFs and yield new insights into the detailed partonic structures of nuclei.