Recent results on the 𝜙 meson in dense matter from theory and experiment

We will in these proceedings review recent progress made in the study of numerically simulating proton-nucleus (pA) collisions in a transport approach, with the purpose of elucidating the behavior of the 𝜙 meson in nuclear matter. Specifically, we will focus on 12 GeV and 30 GeV pA collisions, which correspond to the KEK E325 and J-PARC E16/E88 experiments, respectively, and study both e + e − and K + K − decay channels of the 𝜙 meson, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages in extracting the in-medium 𝜙 meson behavior. We will also give a brief overview on other recent activity of the field related to the 𝜙N interaction and the role of the spin degree of freedom in its behavior in nuclear matter.