Electron–deuteron DIS with spectator tagging at EIC: Development of theoretical framework

Abstract

An Electron–Ion Collider (EIC) would enable next-generation measurements of deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) on the deuteron with detection of a forward-moving nucleon (p, n) and measurement of its recoil momentum (“spectator tagging”). Such experiments offer full control of the nuclear configuration during the high-energy process and can be used for precision studies of the neutron’s partonic structure and its spin dependence, nuclear modifications of partonic structure, and nuclear shadowing at small x. We review the theoretical description of spectator tagging at EIC energies (light–front nuclear structure, on-shell extrapolation in the recoil nucleon momentum, final-state interactions, diffractive effects at small x) and report about on-going developments.