Unintegrated gluon distribution from forward polarized $ρ$-electroproduction

Abstract

We present here some arguments to support our suggestion that data on the helicity structure for the hard exclusive electroproduction of $ρ$ mesons at HERA (and in possible future high-energy electron-proton colliders) provide useful information to constrain the $κ$-shape of the unintegrated gluon distribution in the proton.

20 pages, 4 figures; version accepted for publication on Eur. Phys. J. C