Search for color charge dependence of energy loss at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper investigates the color charge dependence of parton energy loss in quark-gluon plasma at RHIC, analyzing how gluons and quarks lose energy differently and affect particle production ratios in heavy-ion collisions.

Contribution

It explores the experimental signatures of gluon versus quark energy loss in heavy-ion collisions and discusses potential future measurements to distinguish these effects.

Findings

Gluons lose more energy than quarks in the medium.

Particle ratios at high pT reflect differences in parton energy loss.

Future measurements could clarify color charge dependence.

Abstract

The non-Abelian feature of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) results in the gluons losing more energy than quarks in the medium formed in high energy heavy-ion collisions. Experimental results in p+p collisions when compared to NLO pQCD calculations show that at high transverse momentum (pT) the produced protons+anti-protons are dominantly from gluon jets and charged pions have substantial contribution from quark jets. If such a scenario is applied to heavy-ion collisions at RHIC, one would expect the difference in quark and gluon energy loss to have an effect on measured observables, such as high pT pbar(p)/pi ratios and the nuclear modification factor for various particles species. We discuss the experimental results and some possible future measurements.