Quarkonium polarization in pp and p-nucleus collisions

The existing measurements of quarkonium polarization in proton-antiproton and proton-nucleus collisions are puzzling. We highlight issues which are often underestimated in the experimental analyses: the importance of the choice of the reference frame, the interplay between observed decay and production kinematics, and the consequent influence of the experimental acceptance on the comparison between experimental measurements and theoretical calculations. New measurements must provide more detailed information, such that physical conclusions can be derived without relying on model-dependent assumptions. We also describe a frame-invariant formalism which minimizes the dependence of the measurements on the experimental acceptance, facilitates the comparison with theoretical calculations, and probes systematic effects due to experimental biases.