Although the building blocks of the nucleon have been known
for decades, theoretical and experimental understanding of how the
quarks and gluons form the nucleon, and how their strong dynamics
determines the nucleon’s properties has been elusive. Unlike with the
more familiar atomic and molecular matter, interactions and structures
are inextricably mixed up in nuclear matter, and the observed
properties of the nucleon, such as mass and spin, emerge out of this
complex system.
Transverse momentum dependent (TMD) distributions are a novel QCD tool
to map the motion of quarks and gluons in nuclear matter and allow us
to learn about the dynamical system at the heart of our world. The
study of TMD observables is an essential part of the Nuclear Physics
programs at Jefferson Lab and the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider.
In addition to the theoretical and experimental advances in the last
decades, there have been in the last decade remarkable advances in
computer and data science that offer astonishing opportunities for
Nuclear Physics. Given the emerging data of the 12 GeV Science Program
at Jefferson Lab and the increased activities for the Electron-Ion
Collider, I present joint theoretical, experimental, and computational
research and development to lay the foundation of the next-generation
TMD studies.
