Multi-scale Imaging of Nuclear Deformation at the Electron Ion Collider

Understand

We show within the Color Glass Condensate framework that exclusive vector meson production at high energy is sensitive to the geometric deformation of the target nucleus at multiple length scales.

• Studying $e+$U collisions and varying the deformation of the uranium target, we demonstrate that larger deformations result in enhanced incoherent vector meson production cross sections.
• Further, different multipole deformation parameters affect different regions of transverse momentum transfer.
• Employing JIMWLK evolution to study the Bjorken-$x$ dependence of our results, we find that the ratio of incoherent to coherent cross sections decreases with decreasing $x$, largely independently of the quadrupole deformation of the target.