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Stephane Peigne

Publications and source records attributed to Stephane Peigne.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2011

Revisiting scaling properties of medium-induced gluon radiation

Discussing the general case of a hard partonic production process, we show that the notion of parton energy loss is not always sufficient to fully address medium-induced gluon radiation. The broader notion of gluon radiation associated to a hard process has to be used, in particular when initial and final state radiation amplitudes interfere, making the medium-induced radiated energy different from the energy loss of any well-identified parton. Our arguments are first presented in an abelian QED model, and then applied to large-xF quarkonium hadroproduction. In this case, we show that the medium-induced radiated energy is qualitatively similar (but not identical) to the radiative energy loss of an "asymptotic massive parton" undergoing transverse momentum broadening when travelling through the nucleus. In particular, it scales as the incoming parton energy, which suggests to reconsider gluon radiation as a possible explanation of large-xF quarkonium suppression in p-A collisions. We expect a similar effect in open heavy-flavour and possibly light-hadron hadroproduction at large xF, depending on the precise definition of the nuclear suppression factor in the latter case.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2008

Collisional Energy Loss of a Fast Parton in a QGP

The suppression of hadron p_T spectra in high energy central heavy-ion collisions compared to proton-proton collisions, referred to as 'jet-quenching', is currently attributed to partonic energy loss in the hot medium created in the collision. The RHIC experiments show that at large enough p_T, hadron quenching is strong, and of similar magnitude for light and heavy flavours. This point is difficult to understand in a parton energy loss scenario, where the energy loss is believed to be dominantly radiative, and quantitatively different for light partons and heavy quarks: gluon radiation off a heavy quark is suppressed at small angles - within the so-called dead cone - and a heavy quark suffers less radiative energy loss than a light parton. In this context it is important to reconsider the collisional contribution to partonic energy loss. Although it seems difficult to see how collisional losses could substantially increase heavy flavour quenching without simultaneously increasing light hadron quenching, it is theoretically important to establish correct results for the heavy quark collisional energy loss.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2008

Collisional energy loss of a fast heavy quark in a quark-gluon plasma

We discuss the average collisional energy loss dE/dx of a heavy quark crossing a quark-gluon plasma, in the limit of high quark energy E >> M^2/T, where M is the quark mass and T >> M is the plasma temperature. In the fixed coupling approximation, at leading order dE/dx \propto α_s^2, with a coefficient which is logarithmically enhanced. The soft logarithm arising from t-channel scattering off thermal partons is well-known, but a collinear logarithm from u-channel exchange had previously been overlooked. We also determine the constant beyond those leading logarithms. We then generalize our calculation of dE/dx to the case of running coupling. We estimate the remaining theoretical uncertainty of dE/dx, which turns out to be quite large under RHIC conditions. Finally, we point out an approximate relation between dE/dx and the QCD Debye mass, from which we derive an upper bound to dE/dx for all quark energies.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Perturbative gauge theory in a background

Motivated by the gluon condensate in QCD we study the perturbative expansion of a gauge theory in the presence of gauge bosons of vanishing momentum, in the specific case of an abelian theory. The background is characterised by a dimensionful parameter $Λ$ affecting only the on-shell prescription of the free (abelian) gluon propagator. When summed to all orders in $gΛ$ the modification is equivalent to evaluating standard Green functions in a pure gauge field with an imaginary gauge parameter $\propto Λ$. We show how to calculate the corresponding dressed Green functions, which are Poincare and gauge covariant. We evaluate the expressions for the dressed quark and $q \bar q$ propagators, imposing as boundary condition that they approach the standard perturbative form in the short-distance limit ($|p^2|\to\infty$). The on-shell ($p^2=m^2$) pole of the free quark propagator is removed for any $Λ> 0$, and replaced by a discontinuity which vanishes exponentially with $p^2$. The dressing introduces an effective interaction between quarks and antiquarks which is enhanced at low relative 3-momentum. Further study should allow to identify the (bound) eigenstates of propagation and determine whether they define a unitary S-matrix. When the quark mass is zero there is a euclidean propagator solution which breaks chiral symmetry spontaneously. We study some aspects of the massless pion contribution to axial vector correlators and derive the $πq \bar q$ form factor.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2004

QCD Green functions in a gluon field

We formulate a dressed perturbative expansion of QCD, where the standard diagrams are evaluated in the presence of a constant external gluon field whose magnitude is gaussian distributed. The approach is Poincar{é} and gauge invariant, and modifies the usual results for hard processes only by power suppressed contributions. Long distance propagation of quarks and gluons turns out to be inhibited due to a branch point singularity instead of a pole at $p^2=0$ in the quark and gluon propagators. The dressing keeps the (massless) quarks in q qbar fluctuations of the photon at a finite distance from each other.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2003

Universality-breaking effects in DIS and Drell-Yan

Several properties of high energy hadronic collisions are illustrated by comparing DIS and the Drell-Yan process within a scalar QED model. Diffraction and transverse momentum broadening within the target system are found to be non-universal. Here these effects are simply due to the Coulomb phase shift in the Drell-Yan production amplitude.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2003

Dressing the Quark with QCD Condensates

A condensate of $\pvec = 0$ partons in the perturbative vacuum gives rise to a term $\proptoδ^4(p)$ in the free PQCD propagators. The leading condensate contribution to the quark propagator can be exactly summed since there is a factor $δ^4(p)$ associated to each loop. We calculate the dressed quark propagator in the presence of either a gluon or a quark condensate, for a number of colors $N \to \infty$. The dressed quark propagator satisfies a Dyson-Schwinger type equation which can be exactly solved within our framework. In the case of a gluon condensate the dressed quark propagator has no pole, hence quarks cannot appear in asymptotic states, and moreover the DS equation has a solution which spontaneously breaks chiral symmetry. We also calculate the dressed quark-photon vertex and verify that the corresponding Ward-Takahashi identity is satisfied, and that the dressed self-energy correction to the photon propagator does not shift the physical photon pole.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2002

Absence of shadowing in Drell-Yan production at finite transverse momentum exchange

Within a perturbative scalar QED model recently considered by Brodsky et al., we study how leading-twist Coulomb rescatterings affect the Drell-Yan cross section at small x = x_{target}, and compare to the case of deep inelastic scattering at small x_{B}. We show that in the range where the transverse momentum transferred to the target is large compared to its minimal value $\sim \morder{x}$, Coulomb rescatterings affect the DIS cross section but not the Drell-Yan production rate. This illustrates that the leading-twist parton distribution functions become non-universal when cross sections which are differential in target-related particles are considered.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2002

Structure Functions are not Parton Probabilities

The common view that structure functions measured in deep inelastic lepton scattering are determined by the probability of finding quarks and gluons in the target is not correct in gauge theory. We show that gluon exchange between the fast, outgoing partons and target spectators, which is usually assumed to be an irrelevant gauge artifact, affects the leading twist structure functions in a profound way. This observation removes the apparent contradiction between the projectile (eikonal) and target (parton model) views of diffractive and small x_{Bjorken} phenomena. The diffractive scattering of the fast outgoing quarks on spectators in the target causes shadowing in the DIS cross section. Thus the depletion of the nuclear structure functions is not intrinsic to the wave function of the nucleus, but is a coherent effect arising from the destructive interference of diffractive channels induced by final state interactions. This is consistent with the Glauber-Gribov interpretation of shadowing as a rescattering effect.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2000

Quarkonium Production through Hard Comover Scattering. II

We extend to large transverse momentum pt an approach to quarkonium hadroproduction previously suggested for low pt. The dynamics involves a perturbative rescattering of the heavy quark pair off a comoving color field which originates from gluon radiation prior to the heavy quark production vertex. Assuming simple properties of the comoving field we find the rescattering scenario to be in reasonable agreement with data. At large pt, psi' is predicted to be unpolarized, and chi1 production is favoured compared to chi2. We predict the chi1 polarization to be transverse at low pt, and to get a longitudinal component at large pt.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1999

Psi' to J/Psi Ratio in Diffractive Photoproduction

We evaluate the Psi' to J/Psi ratio in diffractive photoproduction in a light-cone framework, using charmonium wave functions extracted from non-relativistic potential models. Contrary to current belief, we find that the best estimate for the ratio is a factor 2 to 5 below the data. The measured ratio constrains the distribution of the charm quark-antiquark component of the charmonium light-cone wave function and indicates that it is more compact than in potential models. We predict that the inelastic photoproduction ratio will be bigger than the elastic one, and will equal that measured in hadroproduction.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1998

Quarkonium Production through Hard Comover Scattering

We propose a qualitatively new mechanism for quarkonium production, motivated by the global features of the experimental data and by the successes/failures of existing models. In QCD, heavy quarks are created in conjunction with a bremsstrahlung color field emitted by the colliding partons. We study the effects of perturbative gluon exchange between the quark pair and a comoving color field. Such scattering can flip the spin and color of the quarks to create a non-vanishing overlap with the wave function of physical quarkonium. Several observed features that are difficult to understand in current models find simple explanations. Transverse gluon exchange produces unpolarized J/psi's, the chi_c1 and chi_c2 states are produced at similar rates, and the anomalous dependence of the J/psi cross section on the nuclear target size can be qualitatively understood.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1997

Rescattering Effects in Quarkonium Production

We study eta_c and J/psi hadroproduction induced by multiple scattering off fixed centres in the target. We determine the minimum number of hard scatterings required and show that additional soft scatterings may be factorized, at the level of the production amplitude for the eta_c and of the cross section for the J/psi. The J/psi provides an interesting example of soft rescattering effects occurring inside a hard vertex. We also explain the qualitative difference between the transverse momentum broadening of the J/psi and of the Upsilon observed in collisions on nuclei. We point out that rescattering from spectators produced by beam and target parton evolution may have important effects in J/psi production.

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