Nucleon structure at large x: nuclear effects in deuterium

Abstract

I review quark momentum distributions in the nucleon at large momentum fractions x. Particular attention is paid to the impact of nuclear effects in deuterium on the d/u quark distribution ratio as x -> 1. A new global study of parton distributions, using less restrictive kinematic cuts in Q^2 and W^2, finds strong suppression of the d quark distribution once nuclear corrections are accounted for.

Comments: to appear in Achievements and New Directions in Subatomic Physics: Festschrift in Honour of Tony Thomas' 60th Birthday, Adelaide, Australia, 15-19 Feb. 2010, ed. W. Melnitchouk