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 σeff. 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, ⟨ r2⟩ ≥ 4σeff/(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 σeff can provide a sharp lower bound on partonic separation but cannot provide a general upper bound.
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BibTeX
@misc{fowlie2026doubling,
title = {{Doubling down on proton structure: what double parton scattering can and cannot tell us about partonic separation}},
author = {Andrew Fowlie and Arthur Moraes and Hao Yang},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.11196},
eprint = {2609.11196},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11196},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Doubling down on proton structure: what double parton scattering can and cannot tell us about partonic separation
AU - Andrew Fowlie
AU - Arthur Moraes
AU - Hao Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.11196
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11196
AB - Double parton scattering provides a unique probe of proton structure and is commonly characterized by the effective cross section σ_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, ⟨ r^2⟩ ≥ 4σ_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_eff can provide a sharp lower bound on partonic separation but cannot provide a general upper bound.
ER -