Nonlinear corrections for the nuclear gluon distribution in eA processes

Abstract

Abstract An analytical study with respect to the nonlinear corrections for the nuclear gluon distribution function in the next-to-leading order approximation at small x is presented. We consider the nonlinear corrections to the nuclear gluon distribution functions at low values of x and using the parametrization and the nuclear modification factors obtained from the Khanpour-Soleymaninia-Atashbar-Spiesberger-Guzey model. The CT18 gluon distribution is used for the baseline proton gluon density at . We discuss the behavior of the gluon densities in the next-to-leading order and the next-to-next-to-leading order approximations at the initial scale , as well as the modifications due to the nonlinear corrections. We find that the QCD nonlinear corrections are more significant for the next-to-leading order accuracy than the next-to-next-to-leading order for light and heavy nuclei. The results of the nonlinear GLR-MQ evolution equation are similar to those obtained with the Rausch-Guzey-Klasen gluon upward and downward evolutions within the uncertainties. The magnitude of the gluon distribution with the nonlinear corrections increases with a decrease in x and an increase in atomic number A.