Jets associated with Z^0 boson production in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC

TL;DR

This paper discusses how Z^0 boson tagged jets in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC can serve as probes for the quark-gluon plasma, providing insights into jet quenching and partonic energy loss.

Contribution

It introduces the use of Z^0 tagged jets as a novel method to study jet quenching and medium effects in heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies.

Findings

Preliminary results on Z^0 tagged jet production and suppression.

Comparison of experimental data with GLV energy loss model.

Advantages of tagged jets over leading particle measurements.

Abstract

The heavy ion program at the LHC will present unprecedented opportunities to probe hot QCD matter, that is, the quark gluon plasma (QGP). Among these exciting new probes are high energy partons associated with the production of a Z^0 boson, or Z^0 tagged jets. Once produced, Z^0 bosons are essentially unaffected by the strongly interacting medium produced in heavy-ion collisions, and therefore provide a powerful signal of the initial partonic energy and subsequent medium induced partonic energy loss. When compared with theory, experimental measurements of Z^0 tagged jets will help quantify the jet quenching properties of the QGP and discriminate between different partonic energy loss formalisms. In what follows, I discuss the advantages of tagged jets over leading particles, and present preliminary results of the production and suppression of Z^0 tagged jets in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies using the Guylassy-Levai-Vitev (GLV) partonic energy loss formalism.