arXiv subjects

Paul Caucal

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Caucal.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Predictions for the sPHENIX physics program

sPHENIX is a next-generation detector experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, designed for a broad set of jet and heavy-flavor probes of the Quark-Gluon Plasma created in heavy ion collisions. In anticipation of the commissioning and first data-taking of the detector in 2023, a RIKEN-BNL Research Center (RBRC) workshop was organized to collect theoretical input and identify compelling aspects of the physics program. This paper compiles theoretical predictions from the workshop participants for jet quenching, heavy flavor and quarkonia, cold QCD, and bulk physics measurements at sPHENIX.

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arXiv2024

Semi-inclusive single-jet production in DIS at next-to-leading order in the Color Glass Condensate

Within the Color Glass Condensate (CGC) effective field theory, we derive the next-to-leading order (NLO) cross-section for the single-jet semi-inclusive cross-section in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) at small $x$, for both longitudinally and transversely polarized virtual photons. We provide analytic expressions, valid at finite $N_c$ and suitable for numerical evaluation, for both the cross-section differential in rapidity and transverse momentum and the cross-section differential in rapidity only. Our NLO formulae demonstrate that the very forward rapidity regime is plagued by large double logarithmic corrections coming from phase space constraints on soft gluons close to the kinematic threshold for jet production. A joint resummation of small-$x$ and threshold logarithms at single logarithmic accuracy is proposed to remedy the instability of the cross-section in this regime. By integrating over the single-jet phase space, we recover known results for the NLO DIS structure functions at small $x$, previously obtained using the optical theorem.

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arXiv2023

Advancing the understanding of energy-energy correlators in heavy-ion collisions

We investigate the collinear limit of the energy-energy correlator (EEC) in a heavy-ion context. First, we revisit the leading-logarithmic (LL) resummation of this observable in vacuum following a diagrammatic approach. We argue that this route allows to naturally incorporate medium-induced effects into the all-orders structure systematically. As an example, we show how the phase-space constraints imposed by the medium on vacuum-like emissions can be incorporated into the LL result by modifying the anomalous dimensions. On the fixed-order side, we calculate the $\mathcal{O}(α_s)$ expansion of the in-medium EEC for a $γ\to q\bar q$ splitting using, for the first time, the exact matrix element. When comparing this result to previously used approximations in the literature, we find up to $\mathcal{O}(1)$ deviations in the regime of interest for jet quenching signatures. Energy loss effects are also quantified and further suppress the EEC at large angles. These semi-analytic studies are complemented with a phenomenological study using the jet quenching Monte Carlo JetMed. Finally, we argue that the imprint of medium-induced effects in energy-energy correlators can be enhanced by using an alternative definition that takes as input Lund primary declusterings instead of particles.

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arXiv2023

Back-to-back inclusive dijets in DIS at small $x$: Gluon Weizsäcker-Williams distribution at NLO

In JHEP 11 (2022) 169, we performed the first complete computation of the back-to-back inclusive di-jet cross-section in Deeply Inelastic Scattering (DIS) at small $x_{\rm Bj}$ to next-to-leading order (NLO) in the Color Glass Condensate effective field theory (CGC EFT). We demonstrate here that for di-jets with relative transverse momentum $P_\perp$ and transverse momentum imbalance $q_\perp$, to leading power in $q_\perp/P_\perp$, the cross-section for longitudinally polarized photons can be fully factorized into the product of a perturbative impact factor and the nonperturbative Weizsäcker-Williams (WW) transverse momentum dependent (TMD) gluon distribution to NLO accuracy. The impact factor can further be expressed as the product of a universal soft factor which resums Sudakov double and single logs in $P_\perp/q_\perp$ and a coefficient function given by a remarkably compact analytic expression. We show that in the CGC EFT the WW TMD satisfies a kinematically constrained JIMWLK renormalization group evolution in rapidity. This factorization formula is valid to all orders in $Q_s/q_\perp$ for $q_\perp, Q_s \ll P_\perp$, where $Q_s$ is the semi-hard saturation scale that grows with rapidity.

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arXiv2022

Back-to-back inclusive dijets in DIS at small $x$: Sudakov suppression and gluon saturation at NLO

Back-to-back dijet cross-sections in deeply inelastic scattering (DIS) at small $x_{\rm Bj}$ are suppressed by many-body multiple scattering and screening effects arising from gluon saturation at high parton densities. They are similarly sensitive in these kinematics to large Sudakov logarithms from soft gluon radiation. Uncovering novel physics in this DIS channel therefore requires understanding the interplay of the two phenomena. In this work, we compute the small $x_{\rm Bj}$ inclusive dijet DIS cross-section in back-to-back kinematics at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the Color Glass Condensate effective field theory (CGC EFT). Our result includes, for the first time, all real and virtual NLO contributions to the impact factor. These include all Sudakov double and single logarithm contributions, as well as all other finite $\mathcal{O}(α_s)$ terms that contribute at this order. We demonstrate explicitly that resummations of small $x$ and Sudakov logarithms can be performed simultaneously in the CGC EFT. This requires that the JIMWLK kernel for small $x$ evolution of the Weizsäcker-Williams (WW) gluon distribution satisfies a kinematic constraint imposed by lifetime ordering of successive gluon emissions; the corresponding modifications to the kernel, corresponding to resummations of large double transverse logarithms, are precisely of the type required to stabilize JIMWLK evolution beyond leading logarithmic accuracy. We compute the azimuthal harmonics of the NLO back-to-back distributions and show their sensitivity to both the unpolarized and linearly polarized WW gluon distributions. Finally, we discuss how TMD factorization is broken by an emergent saturation scale at small $x$.

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arXiv2022

Anomalous dimension of transverse momentum broadening in planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM

The typical transverse momentum $Q_s(t)$ (or "saturation" momentum) acquired by a hard particle propagating through a $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM plasma increases over time like $t^γ$, with an anomalous exponent $γ>1/2$ characteristic of super-diffusion. This anomalous exponent is a function of the 't Hooft coupling $λ=g^2N_c$. Recently, a method has been proposed to systematically compute the perturbative series of $γ(λ)$ at weak coupling. This method relies on the traveling wave interpretation of the time evolution of $Q_s(t)$ and on the dominance of soft-collinear radiative corrections at large times. In this paper, we compute $γ(λ)$ up to $\mathcal{O}(λ^{2})$ using the double logarithmic behaviour of the BFKL equation in planar $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM at three loops. This calculation allows us to discuss the transition towards the strong coupling regime where AdS/CFT calculations predict $γ\to 1$.

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arXiv2022

Transverse momentum broadening from NLL BFKL to all orders in pQCD

We study, to all orders in perturbative QCD, the universal behavior of the saturation momentum $Q_s(L)$ controlling the transverse momentum distribution of a fast parton propagating through a dense QCD medium with large size $L$. Due to the double logarithmic nature of the quantum evolution of the saturation momentum, its large $L$ asymptotics is obtained by slightly departing from the double logarithmic limit of either next-to-leading log (NLL) BFKL or leading order DGLAP evolution equations. At fixed coupling, or in conformal $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory, we derive the large $L$ expansion of $Q_s(L)$ up to order $α_s^{3/2}$. In QCD with massless quarks, where conformal symmetry is broken by the running of the strong coupling constant, the one-loop QCD $β$-function fully accounts for the universal terms in the $Q_s(L)$ expansion. Therefore, the universal coefficients of this series are known exactly to all orders in $α_s$.

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arXiv2022

Dijet impact factor in DIS at next-to-leading order in the Color Glass Condensate

We compute the next-to-leading order impact factor for inclusive dijet production in deeply inelastic electron-nucleus scattering at small $x_{\rm Bj}$. Our computation, performed in the framework of the Color Glass Condensate effective field theory, includes all real and virtual contributions in the gluon shock wave background of all-twist lightlike Wilson line correlators. We demonstrate explicitly that the rapidity evolution of these correlators, to leading logarithmic accuracy, is described by the JIMWLK Hamiltonian. When combined with the next-to-leading order JIMWLK Hamiltonian, our results for the impact factor improve the accuracy of the inclusive dijet cross section to $\mathcal{O}(α_s^2 \ln(x_f/x_{\rm Bj}))$, where $x_f$ is a rapidity factorization scale. These results are an essential ingredient in assessing the discovery potential of inclusive dijets to uncover the physics of gluon saturation at the Electron-Ion Collider.

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arXiv2022

Universality aspects of quantum corrections to transverse momentum broadening in QCD media

We study non-linear quantum corrections to transverse momentum broadening (TMB) of a fast parton propagating in dense QCD matter in the leading logarithmic approximation. These non-local corrections yield an anomalous super-diffusive behavior characterized by a heavy tailed distribution which is associated with Lévy random walks. Using a formal analogy with the physics of traveling waves, we show that at late times the transverse momentum distribution tends to a universal scaling regime. We derive analytic solutions in terms of an asymptotic expansion around the scaling limit for both fixed and running coupling. We note that our analytic approach yields a good agreement with the exact numerical solutions down to realistic values of medium length. Finally, we discuss the interplay between system size and energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient $\hat q$ and its connection with the gluon distribution function that is manifest at large transverse momentum transfer.

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arXiv2021

Dynamically groomed jet radius in heavy-ion collisions

We explore the ability of a recently proposed jet substructure technique, Dynamical Grooming, to pin down the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. In particular, we compute, both analytically and via Monte-Carlo simulations, the opening angle $θ_g$ of the hardest splitting in the jet as defined by Dynamical Grooming. Our calculation, grounded in perturbative QCD, accounts for the factorization in time between vacuum-like and medium-induced processes in the double logarithmic approximation. We observe that the dominating scale in the $θ_g$-distribution is the decoherence angle $θ_c$ which characterises the resolution power of the medium to propagating color probes. This feature also persists in strong coupling models for jet quenching. We further propose for potential experimental measurements a suitable combination of the Dynamical Grooming condition and the jet radius that leads to a pQCD dominated observable with a very small sensitivity ($\leq 10\%$) to medium response.

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arXiv2021

Asymptotics of transverse momentum broadening in dense QCD media

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.

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arXiv2021

Anomalous diffusion in QCD matter

We study the effects of quantum corrections on transverse momentum broadening of a fast parton passing through dense QCD matter. We show that, at leading logarithmic accuracy the broadening distribution tends at late times or equivalently for large system sizes $L$ to a universal distribution that only depends on a single scaling variable $k^2_\perp/Q^2_s$ where the typical transverse momentum scale increases with time as $\ln Q_s^2 \simeq (1+2 β) \ln L - \frac{3}{2}(1+β)\,\ln\ln L$ up to non-universal terms, with an anomalous dimension $β\sim \sqrt{α_s} $. This property is analogous to geometric scaling of gluon distributions in the saturation regime and traveling waves solutions to reaction-diffusion processes. We note that since $β>0$ the process is super-diffusive, which is also reflected at large transverse momentum where the scaling distribution exhibits a heavy tail $k_\perp^{4-2β}$ akin to Lévy random walks.

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arXiv2021

Dynamical grooming meets LHC data

In this work, we analyse the all-orders resummation structure of the momentum sharing fraction, $z_g$, opening angle, $θ_g$, and relative transverse momentum, $k_{t,g}$, of the splitting tagged by the dynamical grooming procedure in hadronic collisions. We demonstrate that their resummation does non-exponentiate and it is free of clustering logarithms. Then, we analytically compute the probability distributions of ($z_g$, $θ_g$, $k_{t,g}$) up to next-to next-to-double logarithm accuracy (N2DL) in the narrow jet limit, including a matching to leading order in $α_s$. On the phenomenological side, we perform an analytic-to-parton level comparison with Pythia and Herwig. We find that differences between the analytic and the Monte-Carlo results are dominated by the infra-red regulator of the parton shower. Further, we present the first analytic comparison to preliminary ALICE data and highlight the role of non-perturbative corrections in such low-$p_t$ regime. Once the analytic result is corrected by a phenomenologically determined non-perturbative factor, we find very good agreement with the data.

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arXiv2020

Jet radiation in a longitudinally expanding medium

In a series of previous papers, we have presented a new approach, based on perturbative QCD, for the evolution of a jet in a dense quark-gluon plasma. In the original formulation, the plasma was assumed to be homogeneous and static. In this work, we extend our description and its Monte Carlo implementation to a plasma obeying Bjorken longitudinal expansion. Our key observation is that the factorisation between vacuum-like and medium-induced emissions, derived in the static case, still holds for an expanding medium, albeit with modified rates for medium-induced emissions and transverse momentum broadening, and with a modified phase-space for vacuum-like emissions. We highlight a scaling relation valid for the energy spectrum of medium-induced emissions, through which the case of an expanding medium is mapped onto an effective static medium. We find that scaling violations due to vacuum-like emissions and transverse momentum broadening are numerically small. Our new predictions for the nuclear modification factor for jets $R_{AA}$, the in-medium fragmentation functions, and substructure distributions are very similar to our previous estimates for a static medium, maintaining the overall good qualitative agreement with existing LHC measurements. In the case of $R_{AA}$, we find that the agreement with the data is significantly improved at large transverse momenta $p_T\gtrsim 500$ GeV after including the effects of the nuclear parton distribution functions.

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arXiv2020

Jet evolution in a dense QCD medium

To probe the properties of the quark-gluon plasma created in heavy-ion collisions, a very useful class of observables refers to the propagation of energetic jets. A jet is a collimated spray of particles generated via successive parton branchings, starting with a virtual quark or gluon produced by the collision. When such a jet is produced in the dense environment of a nucleus-nucleus collision, its interactions with the surrounding medium lead to a modification of its properties, phenomenon known as jet quenching. In this thesis, we develop a new theory to describe jet quenching. We compute for the first time the effects of the medium on multiple vacuum-like emissions, that is emissions triggered by the virtuality of the initial parton. We present a new physical picture for jet evolution, with notably a factorisation in time between vacuum-like emissions and medium-induced emissions. This picture is Markovian, hence well suited for a Monte Carlo implementation that we develop in the parton shower JetMed. We then investigate the phenomenological consequences of our new picture on jet observables and especially the jet nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$, the Soft Drop $z_g$ distribution and the jet fragmentation function. Our Monte Carlo results prove to be in good agreement with the LHC measurements.

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arXiv2020

Jet fragmentation function in heavy-ion collisions

We study the fragmentation function of jets propagating through a dense quark-gluon plasma within perturbative QCD. Our results for its nuclear modification factor are in qualitative agreement with the experimental data in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC. In particular, we reproduce the enhancements seen in the data at both relatively soft and relatively large transverse momenta, with clear physical interpretations. The perturbative predictions however are quite sensitive to the value of the infrared cutoff mimicking the confinement scale, due to the fact that the fragmentation function is not an infrared safe quantity. To remedy this, we propose a new observable -- the (primary) subjet fragmentation function -- which is infrared safe and has features similar to the fragmentation function. We provide predictions for this observable in the vacuum and in heavy-ion collisions that could be tested against the experimental data.

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arXiv2020

Nuclear effects on jet substructure observables at the LHC

Using a pQCD picture for jet evolution in a dense QCD medium, in which medium-induced parton branchings are factorized from vacuum-like emissions, we study two jet substructure observables: the $z_g$ and the Soft Drop multiplicity distributions. We compute the respective nuclear modification factors using a Monte-Carlo implementation of the parton showers. Our results are in qualitative agreement with LHC data for Pb+Pb collisions. We identify the physical mechanisms explaining our results: incoherent jet energy loss, semi-hard medium-induced emissions and the bias introduced by the steeply falling jet spectrum.

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arXiv2019

Deciphering the $z_g$ distribution in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions

Within perturbative QCD, we develop a new picture for the parton shower generated by a jet propagating through a dense quark-gluon plasma. This picture combines in a simple, factorised, way multiple medium-induced parton branchings and standard vacuum-like emissions, with the phase-space for the latter constrained by the presence of the medium. We implement this picture as a Monte Carlo generator that we use to study two phenomenologically important observables: the jet nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ and the $z_g$ distribution reflecting the jet substructure. In both cases, the outcome of our Monte Carlo simulations is in good agreement with the LHC measurements. We provide basic analytic calculations that help explaining the main features observed in the data. We find that the energy loss by the jet is increasing with the jet transverse momentum, due to a rise in the number of partonic sources via vacuum-like emissions. This is a key element in our description of both $R_{AA}$ and the $z_g$ distribution. For the latter, we identify two main nuclear effects: incoherent jet energy loss and hard medium-induced emissions. As the jet transverse momentum increases, we predict a qualitative change in the ratio between the $z_g$ distributions in PbPb and pp collisions: from increasing at small $z_g$, this ratio becomes essentially flat, or even slightly decreasing.

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