Doubling down on proton structure: what double parton scattering can and cannot tell us about partonic separation

Abstract

Double parton scattering provides a unique probe of proton structure and is commonly characterized by the effective cross section $σ_\mathrm{eff}$. We examine, under the factorized ansatz for the double-parton-scattering cross section and without assuming any specific parametric form for the transverse profile, what the effective cross section can reveal about the transverse separation, $r$, between partons in the proton. We derive a sharp lower bound on the transverse partonic separation, $\langle r^2\rangle \ge 4σ_\mathrm{eff}/(9π)$, and demonstrate through explicit counterexamples that previously posited upper bounds do not hold. Our results establish, within the effective-cross-section parametrization of double parton scattering framework, that $σ_\mathrm{eff}$ can provide a sharp lower bound on partonic separation but cannot provide a general upper bound.