Predicting minimum-bias trigger-associated dijet correlations in p-p collisions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to predict dijet-related correlations in proton-proton collisions using fragmentation functions and jet spectra, aiming to confirm the QCD dijet mechanism over collective flow interpretations.

Contribution

A novel approach using probability and Bayes' theorem to relate trigger-associated correlations to fragmentation functions and jet spectra in p-p collisions.

Findings

Predicted TA structures match preliminary p-p data.

Method can be extended to p-A, d-A, and A-A collisions.

Supports the QCD dijet mechanism for certain correlation structures.

Abstract

A method is derived to predict the structure of dijet-related hard components of trigger-associated (TA) hadron correlations from p-p collisions based on measured fragmentation functions (FFs) from e-e or p-pbar collisions and a minimum-bias (MB) jet or scattered-parton spectrum from p-pbar collisions. The method is based on the probability chain rule and Bayes' theorem and relates a trigger-parton--associated-fragment system from reconstructed dijets to a trigger-hadron--associated-hadron system from p-p data. The method is tested in this study by comparisons of FF TA structure with preliminary p-p TA data but can also be applied to p-A, d-A and A-A collisions over a range of energies. Quantitative comparisons of measured TA correlations with FF-derived predictions may confirm a QCD MB dijet mechanism for certain spectrum and correlation structures whose origins are currently questioned and have been attributed by some to collective expansion (flows).