Measuring the Longitudinally Polarized Proton Gluon Distribution using Photoproduction Processes

Abstract

Little information is known about the polarization of gluons inside a longitudinally polarized proton. We investigate the sensitivity of photoproduction experiments with both beam and target longitudinally polarized to the polarization of the gluon distribution in the proton. We study the photoproduction of jets and heavy quarks and conclude that they are both sensitive to the gluon polarization.