Leading order, next-to-leading order, and non-perturbative parton collision kernels: effects in static and evolving media

TL;DR

This paper investigates how different theoretical models of parton collision kernels, including non-perturbative and higher-order effects, influence gluon emission rates and energy loss in quark-gluon plasma, with implications for jet quenching.

Contribution

It implements non-perturbative, next-to-leading order, and leading order collision kernels within the AMY-McGill formalism and evaluates their impact on gluon emission and parton quenching.

Findings

Variations in collision kernels significantly affect parton energy loss.

The impact depends on the value of the strong coupling constant 4s.

Results highlight the importance of kernel choice in jet quenching models.

Abstract

Energetic partons traveling in a strongly interacting medium lose energy by emitting radiation and through collisions with medium constituents. Non-perturbative, next-to-leading order and leading order collision kernels are implemented within AMY-McGill formalism. The resulting gluon emission rates are then evaluated and compared by considering scattering occurring in a brick of quark-gluon plasma, as well as in a realistic simulation of Pb-Pb, collisions at $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ ATeV using MARTINI. We find that the variations in quenching of hard partons resulting from using different kernels can be important, depending on the overall value of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$.