Nonlinear kperpendicular-factorization: a new paradigm for hard QCD processes in a nuclear environment

Large thickness of heavy nuclei brings in a new hard scale into the pQCD description of hard processes in a nuclear environment. This new scale breaks the conventional linear kperpendicular-factorization which must be replaced by a new concept of the nonlinear nuclear kperpendicular-factorization. Here it is reviewed a recent progress in the theory of nonlinear kperpendicular-factorization. A focus is on the role of diffractive interactions, the variation of the pattern of kperpendicular-factorization for single-jet processes from deep inelastic scattering to hadron-nucleus collisions and universality classes for dijet production off nuclei