We discuss the potential of AFTER@LHC to measure single-transverse-spin asymmetries in open-charm and bottomonium production. With a HERMES-like hydrogen polarised target, such measurements over a year can reach precisions close to the per cent level. This is particularly remarkable since these analyses can probably not be carried out anywhere else
We report on the opportunities for spin physics and Transverse-Momentum Dependent distribution (TMD) studies at a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment using the proton or lead ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The LHC multi-TeV beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed, opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing that of collider physics, in particular that of RHIC and the EIC projects. The luminosity achievable with AFTER@LHC using typical targets would surpass that of RHIC by more that 3 orders of magnitude in a similar energy region. In unpolarised proton-proton collisions, AFTER@LHC allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions, the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using the polarisation of hydrogen and nuclear targets, one can measure transverse single-spin asymmetries of quark and gluon sensitive probes, such as, respectively, Drell-Yan pair and quarkonium production. The fixed-target mode has the advantage to allow for measurements in the target-rapidity region, namely at large x^uparrow in the polarised nucleon. Overall, this allows for an ambitious spin program which we outline here.
We report on the studies of Transverse-Momentum-Dependent distributions (TMDs) at a future fixed-target experiment --AFTER@LHC-- using the $p^+$ or Pb ion LHC beams, which would be the most energetic fixed-target experiment ever performed. AFTER@LHC opens new domains of particle and nuclear physics by complementing collider-mode experiments, in particular those of RHIC and the EIC projects. Both with an extracted beam by a bent crystal or with an internal gas target, the luminosity achieved by AFTER@LHC surpasses that of RHIC by up to 3 orders of magnitude. With an unpolarised target, it allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions and the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using polarised targets, one can access the quark and gluon Sivers TMDs through single transverse-spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan and quarkonium production. In terms of kinematics, the fixed-target mode combined with a detector covering $eta_{rm lab} in [1,5]$ allows one to measure these asymmetries at large $x^uparrow$ in the polarised nucleon.
We outline the opportunities for spin physics which are offered by a next generation and multi-purpose fixed-target experiment exploiting the proton LHC beam extracted by a bent crystal. In particular, we focus on the study of single transverse spin asymetries with the polarisation of the target.
We argue that the concept of a multi-purpose fixed-target experiment with the proton or lead-ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal would offer a number of ground-breaking precision-physics opportunities. The multi-TeV LHC beams will allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed. The fixed-target mode has the advantage of allowing for high luminosities, spin measurements with a polarised target, and access over the full backward rapidity domain --uncharted until now-- up to x_F ~ -1.
We report on the spin and diffractive physics at a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment with proton and lead LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The LHC multi-TeV beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed, opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing that of collider physics, in particular that of RHIC and the EIC projects. The luminosity achievable with AFTER using typical targets would surpass that of RHIC by more than 3 orders of magnitude. The fixed-target mode has the advantage to allow for measurements of single-spin asymmetries with polarized target as well as of single-diffractive processes in the target region.