Probing parton distributions in ep/eA and ultra-peripheral collisions

Abstract: Real or virtual photons are excellent probes of nuclear structure, with a strong sensitivity to gluon distributions. Photonic reactions can be studied using ultra-peripheral collisions or at an electron-ion collider. Final states like dijets or open charm production are directly sensitive to the gluon distributions in nuclei. Exclusive reactions, like exclusive vector meson production or deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) go further, requiring at least two gluons. In the Good-Walker paradigm, coherent exclusive photoproduction is sensitive to the average nuclear configuration (including gluonic hot spots), and the Fourier transform of the differential cross-section $d\sigma/dt$ gives the transverse distribution of partonic targets in a nucleus. The incoherent photoproduction cross-section is sensitive to partonic fluctuations, including gluonic hot spots. Some reactions, such as dijet production, involve multiple momentum scales, and thus may be able to probe the Wigner distribution of nuclear targets. Finally, incoherent photoproduction is sensitive to partonic fluctuations; an analysis of $J/\psi$ photoproduction on proton targets found that the data clearly preferred a fluctuating lumpy proton.