arXiv subjects

Weiyao Ke

Publications and source records attributed to Weiyao Ke.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Anisotropic jet broadening and jet shape

In this paper, we explore the use of jet substructure as a way of probing phenomena which break the isotropic behavior of jets, such as jet propagation through an anisotropically flowing quark-gluon plasma or spin correlations. We introduce two novel observables for this purpose: the azimuthal-dependent jet broadening and the azimuthal-dependent jet shape, which generalize the traditional isotropic substructure studies. Using Soft-Collinear Effective Theory, we explicitly calculate the jet functions associated with these observables with a standard jet axis and with a Winner-Take-All jet axis in both the resummed and fixed order limits. While our analysis first and foremost establishes the formalism for the azimuthal-dependent jet substructure, it also brings to light new results for jet substructure in the azimuthally integrated case, such as the semi-inclusive jet function and the exclusive jet shape for the Winner-Take-All axis, and the jet broadening in the fixed order region. As an illustrative example for the new formalism we demonstrate that the azimuthal-dependent jet broadening can be used as a direct probe of the transversity parton distribution function in deep inelastic scattering.

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arXiv2024

Toward a first-principles description of transverse momentum dependent Drell-Yan production in proton-nucleus collisions

In this paper, we study the parton dynamics in Drell-Yan collisions involving proton-nuclei interactions in the limit of small transverse momentum, emphasizing the role of the cold nuclear matter effects. The distribution of transverse momentum that enter into these collisions differs from that in Drell-Yan collisions with free nucleons in two distinct ways: the intrinsic parton structure of the TMDs are altered, the perturbative dynamics undergo additional modification due to interactions with the nuclear medium. In this paper, we focus on the perturbative dynamics, which we demonstrate enter from forward scattering between the parton constituents of the proton and the nuclear medium. We then derive these partonic contributions to the TMD Drell-Yan cross section up to next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant and to the first order in the medium opacity. We demonstrate that the collinear and rapidity divergences related to parton showers in matter lead to i) an in-medium renormalization group equation that encodes the transverse momentum dependence of parton energy loss, and ii) a Balitsky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov evolution equation for the forward scattering cross section. We discuss the relation of our results to the phenomenological extraction of nuclear TMDs and apply the new formalism to Drell-Yan production at small transverse momenta in $p$+$A$ reactions.

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arXiv2024

eHIJING: an Event Generator for Jet Tomography in Electron-Ion Collisions

We develop the first event generator, the electron-Heavy-Ion-Jet-INteraction-Generator (eHIJING), for the jet tomography study of electron-ion collisions. In this generator, energetic jet partons produced from the initial hard scattering undergo multiple collisions with the nuclear target. The collision rate is proportional to the transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) gluon density in the nucleus, which is given by a simple model inspired by the physics of gluon saturation. Medium-modified QCD splitting functions within the higher-twist (HT) and generalized higher-twist (GHT) frameworks are utilized to simulate parton showering in the nuclear medium that takes into account the non-Abelian Landau-Pomeranchuck-Midgal interference effect. Employing eHIJING, we revisit hadron production in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) as measured by EMC, HERMES, and recent CLAS experiments. eHIJING with both GT and GHT frameworks gives reasonably good descriptions of these experimental data. Predictions for experiments at the future electron-ion colliders are also provided. It is demonstrated that future measurements of the transverse momentum broadening of single hadron spectra can be used to map out the two-dimensional kinematic ($Q^2, x_B$) dependence of the jet transport coefficient $\hat{q}$ in cold nuclear matter.

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arXiv2024

Understanding parton evolution in matter from renormalization group analysis

We perform a renormalization group (RG) analysis of collinear hadron production in deep inelastic scattering on nuclei. We consider the limit where the parent parton energy $E$ is large, while the medium opacity $L/λ_g$ remains small. We identify the fixed order and leading $\ln(E/ξ^2 L)$ enhanced medium contributions to the semi-inclusive cross sections and derive RG equations that resum multiple emissions near the endpoints of the splitting functions at first order in opacity. These evolution equations treat the same type of radiation enhancement in matter as the modified Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi approach, but differ in the way one regulates the collinear divergences. They provide a unique analytic insight into the problem of resummation and a faster and more efficient path to phenomenology. The new RG evolution framework is applied to study fragmentation in $e$A reactions.

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arXiv2024

Precision three-dimensional imaging of nuclei using recoil-free jets

In this study, we explore the azimuthal angle decorrelation of lepton-jet pairs in e-p and e-A collisions as a means for precision measurements of the three-dimensional structure of bound and free nucleons. Utilizing soft-collinear effective theory, we perform the first-ever resummation of this process in e-p collisions at NNLL accuracy using a recoil-free jet axis. Our results are validated against Pythia simulations. In e-A collisions, we address the complex interplay between three characteristic length scales: the medium length $L$, the mean free path of the energetic parton in the medium $λ$, and the hadronization length $L_h$. We demonstrate that in the thin-dilute limit, where $L \ll L_h$ and $L \sim λ$, this process can serve as a robust probe of the three-dimensional structure for bound nucleons. We conclude by offering predictions for future experiments at the Electron-Ion Collider within this limit.

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arXiv2024

Non-hydrodynamic response in QCD-like plasma

Quark-gluon plasma's (QGP) properties at non-hydrodynamic and non-perturbative regimes remain largely unexplored. Here, we examine the response functions describing how a QGP-like plasma responds to initial energy-momentum disturbance in both static and Bjorken-expanding plasma at non-hydrodynamic gradient using the Boltzmann equation in the relaxation-time approximation (RTA). We show that the resulting response functions are remarkably similar in both static and expanding backgrounds at non-hydrodynamic gradients. While non-hydrodynamic response can not be described by the conventional first-order and second-order theories, its behavior is reasonably captured by the extended version of hydrodynamics proposed by us (arXiv: 2208.01046). The potential sensitivity of the Euclidean correlator to non-hydrodynamic response is also illustrated.

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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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arXiv2023

Initial-state and final-state effects on hadron production in small collision systems

Heavy meson production in reactions with nuclei is an active new frontier to understand QCD dynamics and the process of hadronization in nuclear matter. Measurements in various colliding systems at RHIC and LHC, including Pb-Pb, Xe-Xe, O-O, p-Pb, and p-O, enable precision tests of the medium-size, temperature, and mass dependencies of the in-medium parton propagation and shower formation. We employ a coupled DGLAP evolution framework that takes advantage of splitting functions recently obtained in soft-collinear effective theory with Glauber gluons (SCET$_{\rm G}$) and hard thermal loop (HTL) motivated collisional energy loss effects. With jet quenching effects constrained to the nuclear modification factor of charged hadrons in Pb-Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV, we present predictions for light and heavy-meson in Xe-Xe, O-O and p-Pb collisions at the LHC. We find that the nuclear modification scales non-trivially with the quark mass and medium properties. In particular, there can be sizeable collision-induced attenuation of heavy mesons in small systems such as oxygen-oxygen and high-multiplicity p-Pb events. Finally, we analyze the impact of different models of initial-state parton dynamics on the search for QGP signatures in small colliding systems.

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arXiv2023

Global constraint on the jet transport coefficient from single hadron, dihadron and $γ$-hadron spectra in high-energy heavy-ion collisions

Modifications of large transverse momentum single hadron, dihadron, and $γ$-hadron spectra in relativistic heavy-ion collisions are direct consequences of parton-medium interactions in the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The interaction strength and underlying dynamics can be quantified by the jet transport coefficient $\hat{q}$. We carry out the first global constraint on $\hat{q}$ using a next-to-leading order pQCD parton model with higher-twist parton energy loss and combining world experimental data on single hadron, dihadron, and $γ$-hadron suppression at both RHIC and LHC energies with a wide range of centralities. The global Bayesian analysis using the information field (IF) priors provides the most stringent constraint on $\hat q(T)$. We demonstrate in particular the progressive constraining power of the IF Bayesian analysis on the strong temperature dependence of $\hat{q}$ using data from different centralities and colliding energies. We also discuss the advantage of using both inclusive and correlation observables with different geometric biases. As a verification, the obtained $\hat{q}(T)$ is shown to describe data on single hadron anisotropy at high transverse momentum well. Predictions for future jet quenching measurements in oxygen-oxygen collisions are also provided.

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arXiv2023

Bayesian inference of the path-length dependence of jet energy loss

A simple model for medium modification of the jet function can be used to extract the jet energy loss distribution through a parameterized form. We carry out a comprehensive Bayesian analysis of the world data on single inclusive jet spectra in heavy-ion collisions at both RHIC and LHC energies. We extract the average jet energy loss $\langle ΔE\rangle$ as a function of jet transverse momentum $p_T$ for each collision system and centrality independently. Assuming jet energy loss is proportional to the initial parton density $ρ\sim dN_{\rm ch}/dη/πR_{\rm eff}^2$ as estimated from the pseudorapidity density of charged hadron multiplicity $dN_{\rm ch}/dη$ and the effective system size $R_{\rm eff}\sim N_{\rm part}^{1/3}$ given by the number of participant nucleons $N_{\rm part}$, the scaled average jet energy loss $\langle ΔE\rangle/ρ\sim R_{\rm eff}^{0.59} p_T^{0.13}\ln p_T $ for jet cone-size $R=0.4$ is found to have a momentum dependence that is slightly stronger than a logarithmic form while the system size or length dependence is slower than a linear one. The fluctuation of jet energy loss is, however, independent of the initial parton density or the system size.

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arXiv2023

Bayesian parameter estimation with a new three-dimensional initial-conditions model for ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

We extend the well-studied midrapidity TRENTo initial-conditions model to three dimensions, thus facilitating (3+1)D modeling and analysis of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies. TRENTo-3D is a fast, parametric model of the 3D initial-state geometry, capable of providing initial conditions for (3+1)D models of quark--gluon plasma formation and evolution. It builds on TRENTo's success at modeling the initial nuclear participant thicknesses, longitudinally extending the initial deposition to form a central fireball near midrapidity and two fragmentation regions at forward and backward rapidities. We validate the new model through a large-scale Bayesian calibration, utilizing as observables the rapidity distributions of charged hadrons. For computational efficiency the present effort employs a (1+1)D linearized approximation of ideal hydrodynamics as a stand-in for quark--gluon plasma dynamics. This calibration serves as model validation and paves the way for utilizing TRENTo-3D as an initial-conditions model for state-of-the-art simulation incorporating (3+1)D relativistic viscous hydrodynamics.

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arXiv2023

The case for an EIC Theory Alliance: Theoretical Challenges of the EIC

We outline the physics opportunities provided by the Electron Ion Collider (EIC). These include the study of the parton structure of the nucleon and nuclei, the onset of gluon saturation, the production of jets and heavy flavor, hadron spectroscopy and tests of fundamental symmetries. We review the present status and future challenges in EIC theory that have to be addressed in order to realize this ambitious and impactful physics program, including how to engage a diverse and inclusive workforce. In order to address these many-fold challenges, we propose a coordinated effort involving theory groups with differing expertise is needed. We discuss the scientific goals and scope of such an EIC Theory Alliance.

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arXiv2022

Far-from-equilibrium slow modes and momentum anisotropy in expanding plasma

The momentum distribution of particle production in heavy-ion collisions encodes information about thermalization processes in the early-stage quark-gluon plasma. We use kinetic theory to study the far-from-equilibrium evolution of an expanding plasma with an anisotropic momentum-space distribution. We identify slow and fast degrees of freedom in the far-from-equilibrium plasma from the evolution of moments of this distribution. At late times, the slow modes correspond to hydrodynamic degrees of freedom and are naturally gapped from the fast modes by the inverse of the relaxation time, $τ_R^{-1}$. At early times, however, there are an infinite number of slow modes with a gap inversely proportional to time, $τ^{-1}$. From the evolution of the slow modes we generalize the paradigm of the far-from-equilibrium attractor to vector and tensor components of the energy-momentum tensor, and even to higher moments of the distribution function that are not part of the hydrodynamic evolution. We predict that initial-state momentum anisotropy decays slowly in the far-from-equilibrium phase and may persist until the relaxation time.

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arXiv2022

Does quark-gluon plasma feature an extended hydrodynamic regime?

We investigate the response of the near-equilibrium quark-gluon plasma (QGP) to perturbation at non-hydrodynamic gradients. We propose a conceivable scenario under which sound mode continues to dominate the medium response in this regime. Such a scenario has been observed experimentally for various liquids and liquid metals. We further show this extended hydrodynamic regime (EHR) indeed exists for both the weakly-coupled kinetic equation in the relaxation time approximation (RTA) and the strongly-coupled ${\cal N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory. We construct a simple but nontrivial extension of M{ü}eller-Isareal-Stewart (MIS) theory, namely MIS*, and demonstrate that it describes EHR response for both RTA and SYM theory. This indicates that MIS* equations can potentially be employed to search for QGP EHR via heavy-ion collisions.

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arXiv2022

Information field based global Bayesian inference of the jet transport coefficient

Bayesian statistical inference is a powerful tool for model-data comparisons and extractions of physical parameters that are often unknown functions of system variables. Existing Bayesian analyses often rely on explicit parametrizations of the unknown function. It can introduce long-range correlations that impose fictitious constraints on physical parameters in regions of the variable space that are not probed by the experimental data. We develop an information field (IF) approach to modeling the prior distribution of the unknown function that is free of long-range correlations. We apply the IF approach to the first global Bayesian inference of the jet transport coefficient $\hat q$ as a function of temperature ($T$) from all existing experimental data on single-inclusive hadron, di-hadron and $γ$-hadron spectra in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies. The extracted $\hat q/T^3$ exhibits a strong $T$-dependence as a result of the progressive constraining power when data from more central collisions and at higher colliding energies are incrementally included. The IF method guarantees that the extracted $T$-dependence is not biased by a specific functional form.

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arXiv2022

Searching for QGP droplets with high-$p_T$ hadrons and heavy flavor

The search for the smallest quark-gluon plasma (QGP) droplets in nature has motivated recent small collisions system programs at RHIC and LHC. Unambiguous identification of jet quenching due to final-state interactions is key to confirming QGP formation in these reactions. We compute the nuclear modification factors $R_{AA}$ and $R_{p(d)A}$ of charged hadrons and heavy flavor mesons in large (Au-Au, Xe-Xe, Pb-Pb) and small ($d$-Au, $p$-Pb, O-O) colliding systems, respectively. Our results include the Cronin effect and initial-state parton energy loss in cold nuclear matter. In the final state, hard partons undergo collisional energy loss and branching that was recently derived using Soft-Collinear-Effective-Theory with Glauber Gluon (SCET$_{\rm G}$). In large colliding systems, medium-modified QCD evolution of the fragmentation functions dominates the nuclear correction. As the system size decreases, we find that cold nuclear matter effects, collisional energy loss, and QGP-induced radiations can become equally important. A systematic scan over the medium size and mass/flavor dependence of $R_{AA}$ provides the opportunity to separate these individual contributions and identify QGP signatures in small systems. Predictions for $R_{AA}^{h}$, $R_{AA}^{D}$, $R_{AA}^{B}$ in O-O collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV are presented with and without the formation of a QGP and contrasted with the corresponding $R_{p(d)A}$ calculations. Upcoming single-hadron measurements at the LHC will not only test the O-O predictions for both light and heavy flavor production, but will shed light on the possibly very different dynamics of $p$-A and A-A reactions at similar soft particle production multiplicities.

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arXiv2022

Search for the elusive jet-induced diffusion wake in $Z/γ$-jets with 2D jet tomography in high-energy heavy-ion collisions

Diffusion wake is an unambiguous part of the jet-induced medium response in high-energy heavy-ion collisions that leads to a depletion of soft hadrons in the opposite direction of the jet propagation. New experimental data on $Z$-hadron correlation in Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider show, however, an enhancement of soft hadrons in the direction of both the $Z$ and the jet. Using a coupled linear Boltzmann transport and hydro model, we demonstrate that medium modification of partons from the initial multiple parton interaction (MPI) gives rise to a soft hadron enhancement that is uniform in azimuthal angle while jet-induced medium response and soft gluon radiation dominate the enhancement in the jet direction. After subtraction of the contributions from MPI with a mixed-event procedure, the diffusion wake becomes visible in the near-side $Z$-hadron correlation. We further employ the longitudinal and transverse gradient jet tomography for the first time to localize the initial jet production positions in $Z/γ$-jet events in which the effect of the diffusion wake is apparent in $Z/γ$-hadron correlation even without the subtraction of MPI.

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arXiv2022

From hydro to jet quenching, coalescence and hadron cascade: a coupled approach to solving the $R_{AA}\otimes v_2$ puzzle

Hydrodynamics and jet quenching are responsible for the elliptic flow $v_2$ and suppression of large transverse momentum ($p_T$) hadrons, respectively, two of the most important phenomena leading to the discovery of a strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. A consistent description of the hadron suppression factor $R_{AA}$ and $v_2$, especially at intermediate $p_T$, however, remains a challenge. We solve this long-standing $R_{AA}\otimes v_2$ puzzle by including quark coalescence for hadronization and final state hadron cascade in the coupled linear Boltzmann transport-hydro model that combines concurrent jet transport and hydrodynamic evolution of the bulk medium. We illustrate that quark coalescence and hadron cascade, two keys to solving the puzzle, also lead to a splitting of $v_2$ for pions, kaons and protons in the intermediate $p_T$ region. We demonstrate for the first time that experimental data on $R_{AA}$, $v_2$ and their hadron flavor dependence from low to intermediate and high $p_T$ in high-energy heavy-ion collisions can be understood within this coupled framework.

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