Simulating quark and gluon momentum fraction coverage of observables at PHENIX and sPHENIX using PYTHIA8

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is the only polarized proton collider and thus plays a critical role in improving our understanding of Quantum Chromodynamics, the fundamental theory of the strong interaction between quarks and gluons. These particles, collectively known as partons, have the unique property of exhibiting asymptotic freedom, in which the interaction decreases at high energies, leading to approximately free partons within the proton. Parton distribution functions (PDFs) are utilized to determine the probability of scattering off of these partons at a given momentum fraction and energy scale within the proton. The calculation of these PDFs relies heavily on experimental input from a wide range of observables. At RHIC, observables important for constraining PDFs have been measured by the PHENIX experiment and will be measured by the upcoming sPHENIX experiment. To further understand the full impact of these studies, proton collisions at RHIC energies are simulated to construct the momentum fraction coverage of recent PHENIX and proposed sPHENIX measurements using PYTHIA8.