Parton fragment yields derived from minimum-bias jet angular correlations

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that jet-like correlations in 200 GeV Au+Au collisions quantitatively match pQCD predictions, revealing that a significant portion of hadrons originate from parton fragmentation even at low transverse momentum.

Contribution

It converts minimum-bias jet-like angular correlations into single-particle yields and compares them with spectrum hard components, establishing a quantitative link to pQCD predictions.

Findings

Jet-like correlations account for one third of final-state hadrons.

Spectrum hard components are well described by pQCD parton fragment distributions.

Jet correlations are consistent with pQCD predictions in central collisions.

Abstract

Spectrum hard components from 200 GeV \auau collisions are accurately described by pQCD parton fragment distributions, indicating that a substantial population of parton fragments is present in hadron spectra at low $p_t$. Minimum-bias angular correlations contain jet-like correlation structure with most-probable hadron momentum 1 GeV/c. In this study we convert minimum-bias jet-like angular correlations to single-particle yields and compare them with spectrum hard components. We find that jet-like correlations in central 200 GeV \auau collisions correspond quantitatively to pQCD predictions, and the jet-correlated hadron yield comprises one third of the final state.