Recent progress in Nuclear Parton Distributions

Abstract

The determination of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) is crucial for a complete understanding of the protons and neutrons that make most of the visible matter in the universe. Years of dedicated studies have yielded a quite precise knowledge of the behavior of partons moving collinearly within a proton. However Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS) experiments off nuclei have shown a non-trivial difference with respect to DIS in protons, hinting that the partons in a nuclear medium do not behave the same way as in a free proton. In this work we will discuss the latest results in nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) and how data from planned future experiments can help broaden our understanding of the nPDFs.