Probing multigluon correlations through single spin asymmetries in pp collisions

Abstract

We study the single spin asymmetries for the $D$-meson production, Drell-Yan lepton-pair production and the direct-photon production in the $pp$ collision induced by the twist-3 three-gluon correlation functions in the transversely polarized nucleon. We present a corresponding polarized cross section formula in the leading-order with respect to the QCD coupling and a model calculation for the asymmetries, illustrating the sensitivity to the form of the correlation functions.