Two-component model of 2D trigger-associated hadron correlations on rapidity space $\bf y_{ta} \times y_{tt}$ derived from 1D $\bf p_t$ spectra for p-p collisions at $\bf \sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV

TL;DR

This paper develops a two-component model for 2D trigger-associated correlations in proton-proton collisions at 200 GeV, linking low-energy jet structures to pQCD predictions and challenging existing assumptions about jet production.

Contribution

It introduces a TCM for 2D TA correlations that isolates jet-related structures and explores low-energy jet production limits in p-p collisions.

Findings

Spectrum hard component aligns with pQCD jet fragmentation predictions.

Inferred low-energy jet correlations challenge traditional jet production assumptions.

Results impact underlying-event analysis and Monte Carlo modeling.

Abstract

A two-component model (TCM) for single-particle $p_t$ spectra describes 200 GeV p-p data accurately. Based on that TCM a spectrum hard component was isolated that is related quantitatively to pQCD predictions for jet fragmentation down to low jet energies ($\approx 3$ GeV). We here address jet-related structure in 2D trigger-associated (TA) correlations as a more-detailed method to explore the kinematic limits of low-energy jet production and low-momentum jet fragment structure in p-p collisions. We derive a TCM for p-p TA correlations that can be used to isolate 2D jet-related structure. Inferred minimum-bias (mainly low-energy) jet-related TA correlations may challenge several major assumptions about jet production in p-p (and A-A) collisions. These results should be relevant to p-p underlying-event studies and Monte Carlo predictions of multiple parton interactions.