Speaker
Description
Backward ($u$-channel) production of vector mesons in electron-ion collisions is an under-studied mechanism with interesting physics implications. Backward-production reactions are characterized by a small Mandelstam $u$ compared to forward production's small Mandelstam $t$. The result of this difference in reaction channels is that the products of backward production are a proton at mid-rapidity and a vector meson in the forward direction. Data from fixed-target experiments currently constrain backward production kinematics, and experiments at the EIC will have the opportunity to probe this reaction channel with high statistics over a large energy range. The kinematics of backward vector meson production and vector meson decay daughters at the EIC will be discussed. eSTARlight is a Monte Carlo event generator which simulates vector meson production in electron-ion collisions. Recent modifications to eSTARlight which model backward vector meson production and vector meson decays will be presented. Insights from eSTARlight on challenges for EIC detectors to probe backward production will also be shown.
