The proton is made up of quarks and gluons that interact via the strong nuclear force. These particles constantly radiate low-energy gluons, potentially saturating the proton and producing a phase of dense gluonic matter. Studying this dense gluonic matter will help reveal how gluons contribute to the emergent properties of protons and nuclei. The high-energy collisions produced by the LHC, along with the forward acceptance of the LHCb detector, provide unprecedented sensitivity to low-energy gluons in protons and nuclei. Consequently, LHCb is an ideal laboratory for studying dense gluonic matter. In this seminar, I will present recent results from the LHCb experiment that probe the gluonic structure of protons and nuclei and discuss what these results have taught us about matter at high gluon densities. I'll also discuss prospects for future measurements at both LHCb and at the upcoming Electron Ion Collider.
