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Twist-3 gluon contribution to the single transverse-spin asymmetry in J/ψ production in pp collisions

Longjie Chen1,* and Shinsuke Yoshida2,3,†

  • *Contact author: chenlongjieusc@163.com
  • †Contact author: shinyoshida85@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 014063 – Published 29 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/fcl3-kr8l

Abstract

We present our results for the twist-3 gluon contribution to the single transverse-spin asymmetry (SSA) in J/ψ production in proton-proton collisions. Although the data were reported by the RHIC experiment more than a decade ago, a theoretical calculation based on rigorous collinear factorization has remained unavailable for the dominant gluonic contribution. Our results show that only the C-even type twist-3 gluon distribution, which has a direct relationship with the gluon transverse-momentum-dependent distribution function, contributes to the J/ψ SSA. Therefore, this observable serves as a key probe to understand the three-dimensional motion of gluons inside the proton. We also perform numerical simulations of the J/ψ SSA at RHIC and LHC energies. Our simulations indicate that a sizable SSA could be generated through a mechanism different from that responsible for the SSA in light hadron and D-meson production.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 014063– Published 29 July, 2026
  • Received 24 May 2026
  • Accepted 9 July 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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