Jet conversions in a quark-gluon plasma Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Quark and gluon jets traversing through a quark-gluon plasma not only lose their energies but also can undergo flavor conversions. The conversion rates via the elastic q(q)ggq(q) and the inelastic qq gg scatterings are evaluated in the lowest order in QCD. Including both jet energy loss and conversions in the expanding quark-gluon plasma produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions, we have found a net of quark jets to gluon jets. This reduces the difference between the nuclear modification factors for quark and gluon jets in central heavy ion collisions and thus enhances the p/+ and p/- ratios at high transverse momentum. However, a much larger net quark-to-gluon jet conversion rate than the one given by the lowest order QCD is needed to account for the observed similar ratios in central Au+Au and p+p collisions at the same energy. Implications of our results are discussed. 2007 The American Physical Society.

published proceedings

  • PHYSICAL REVIEW C

author list (cited authors)

  • Liu, W., Ko, C. M., & Zhang, B. W.

citation count

  • 29

complete list of authors

  • Liu, W||Ko, CM||Zhang, BW

publication date

  • May 2007