Asymptotics of transverse momentum broadening in dense QCD media

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how the transverse momentum distribution of high-energy particles broadens in dense QCD media as the system size grows, incorporating radiative corrections and nonlinear physics insights.

Contribution

It introduces a novel formula for the system size dependence of the transverse momentum scale, connecting jet quenching with traveling wave phenomena in nonlinear physics.

Findings

Derived a formula for $Q_s$ dependence on system size $L$

Connected jet quenching evolution to traveling wave fronts

Discussed implications for jet quenching and small-$x$ physics

Abstract

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the transverse momentum broadening distribution of an energetic quark or gluon propagating through dense QCD matter, in the large system size $L$ limit, taking into account radiative corrections in the double logarithmic approximation. Thanks to a connection between the evolution of the jet quenching parameter $\hat{q}$ and the formation of traveling wave fronts in nonlinear physics, we obtain a formula for the $L$ dependence of the characteristic transverse momentum scale $Q_s$ of the distribution valid up to terms of order $1/\ln(L)$. We briefly discuss the physical implications of this formula for jet quenching and small-$x$ phenomenology.