Resummation of double collinear logs in BK evolution versus HERA data

We present a global fit to HERA data on the reduced cross section measured in electron-proton collisions in the region of small Bjorken-$x$: $xle x_0=10^{-2}$ and moderate to high values of the virtuality $Q^2<Q^2_{max}=650$ GeV$^2$. The main dynamical ingredients in the fits are two recently proposed improved BK equations for the description of the small-$x$ evolution of the dipole scattering amplitude. These two new equations provide an all-order resummation of double collinear logarithms that arise beyond leading logarithmic accuracy. We show that a very good description of data is possible in both cases, provided the parent dipole or smallest dipole prescriptions are employed for the running of the coupling.

The neutrino-nucleon cross section at UHE and its astrophysical implications

We present a quantitative study of the $ u N$ cross section in the neutrino energy range $10^4<E_{ u}<10^{14}$ GeV within two transversal QCD approaches: NLO DGLAP evolution using different sets of PDFs and BK small-$x$ evolution with running coupling and kinematical corrections. We show that the non-linear effects embodied in the BK equation yield a slower raise in the cross section for $E_{ u}gtrsim 10^{8}$ GeV than the usual DGLAP based calculation. Finally, we translate this theoretical uncertainty into upper bounds for the ultra-high-energy neutrino flux for different experiments.

Gluon saturation and initial conditions for relativistic heavy ion collisions

We present an overview of theoretical aspects of the phenomenon of gluon saturation in high energy scattering in Quantum Chromo Dynamics. Then we review the state-of-the-art of saturation-based phenomenological approaches to the study and characterisation of the initial state of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions performed at RHIC and the LHC. Our review focuses mostly in the Color Glass Condensate effective theory, although we shall also discuss other approaches in parallel.

The initial state of heavy-ion collisions

We present a brief review of recent theoretical developments and related phenomenological approaches for understanding the initial state of heavy-ion collisions, with emphasis on the Color Glass Condensate formalism.

Delineating the saturation boundary: linear vs non-linear QCD evolution from HERA data to LHC phenomenology

The forthcoming p+Pb run at the LHC will provide crucial in formation on the initial state effects of heavy ion collisions and on the gluon saturation phenomena. In turn, most of the saturation inspired phenomenology in heavy ion collisions borrows substantial empiric information from the analysis of e+p data, where abundant high quality data on the small-x kinematic region is available. Indeed, the very precise combined HERA data provides a testing ground in which the relevance of novel QCD regimes, other than the successful linear DGLAP evolution, in small-x inclusive DIS data can be ascertained. We present a study of the dependence of the AAMQS fits, based on the running coupling BK non-linear evolution equations (rcBK), on the fitted dataset. This allows for the identification of the kinematical region where rcBK accurately describes the data, and thus for the determination of its applicability boundary. It also set important constraints to the saturation models used to model the early stages of heavy ion collisions. Finally we compare the rcBK results with NNLO DGLAP fits, obtained with the NNPDF methodology with analogous kinematical cuts. Further, we explore the impact on LHC phenomenology of applying stringent kinematical cuts to the low-x HERA data in a DGLAP fit.

Initial State: Theory Status

I present a brief discussion of the different approaches to the study initial state effects in heavy ion collisions in view of the recent results from Pb+Pb and p+p collisions at the LHC.

AAMQS: a non-linear QCD description of new HERA data at small-x

We present a global analysis of available data on inclusive structure functions measured in electron-proton scattering at small values of Bjorken-x, including the latest data from the combined HERA analysis on reduced cross sections. Our approach relies on the dipole formulation of DIS together with the use of the non-linear running coupling BK equation for the description of the small-x dynamics. With the resulting parametrization we are able to describe the latest FL data measured by the H1 collaboration. Further, we discuss the kinematical domain where significant deviations from NLO-DGLAP should be expected and the ability of non-linnear physics to account for such deviations.

Azimuthal correlations of forward di-hadrons in d+Au collisions suppressed by saturation

RHIC experiments have recently measured the azimuthal correlation function of forward di-hadrons. The data show a disappearance of the away-side peak in central d+Au collisions, compared to p+p collisions, as was predicted by saturation physics. Indeed, we argue that this effect, absent at mid-rapidity, is a consequence of the small-x evolution into the saturation regime of the Gold nucleus wave function. We show that the data are well described in the Color Glass Condensate framework.

A model for gluon production in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC with rcBK unintegrated gluon densities

This note is a physics manual for a recent numerical implementation of k_t-factorization with running-coupling BK unintegrated gluon distributions. We also compile some results for Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s} = 2.75 TeV, such as predictions for the centrality dependence of the charged particle multiplicity and transverse energy. The model can further be used to obtain initial conditions for hydrodynamic simulations of A+A collisions at the LHC.