Heavy-quark energy loss in pQCD and SYM plasmas

TL;DR

This paper compares heavy-quark energy loss and transverse momentum broadening in strongly-coupled N=4 SYM plasma and perturbative QCD, revealing similar parametric forms for energy loss but differing mechanisms for pT-broadening.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of energy loss mechanisms in SYM and pQCD, highlighting their similarities and differences in a finite-extent medium.

Findings

Identical parametric forms for energy loss in SYM and pQCD.

pT-broadening is radiation dominated in SYM.

pT-broadening is multiple scattering dominated in pQCD.

Abstract

We consider heavy-quark energy loss and pT-broadening in a strongly-coupled N=4 Super Yang Mills (SYM) plasma, and the problem of finite-extend matter is addressed. When expressed in terms of the appropriate saturation momentum, one finds identical parametric forms for the energy loss in pQCD and SYM theory, while pT-broadening is radiation dominated in SYM theory and multiple scattering dominated in pQCD.