Quantifying jet transport properties via large pTp_T hadron production

Nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ for large $p_T$ single hadron is studied in a next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD (pQCD) parton model with medium-modified fragmentation functions (mFFs) due to jet quenching in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. The energy loss of the hard partons in the QGP is incorporated in the mFFs which utilize two most important parameters to characterize the transport properties of the hard parton jets: the jet transport parameter $\hat q_{0}$ and the mean free path $\lambda_{0}$, both at the initial time $\tau_0$. A phenomenological study of the experimental data for $R_{AA}(p_{T})$ is performed to constrain the two parameters with simultaneous $\chi^2/{\rm d.o.f}$ fits to RHIC as well as LHC data. We obtain for energetic quarks $\hat q_{0}\approx 1.1 \pm 0.2$ GeV$^2$/fm and $\lambda_{0}\approx 0.4 \pm 0.03$ fm in central $Au+Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV, while $\hat q_{0}\approx 1.7 \pm 0.3$ GeV$^2$/fm, and $\lambda_{0}\approx 0.5 \pm 0.05$ fm in central $Pb+Pb$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=2.76$ TeV. Numerical analysis shows that the best fit favors a multiple scattering picture for the energetic jets propagating through the bulk medium, with a moderate averaged number of gluon emissions. Based on the best constraints for $\lambda_{0}$ and $\tau_0$, the estimated value for the mean-squared transverse momentum broadening is moderate which implies that the hard jets go through the medium with small reflection.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, revised versio

Experimental Investigation of Longitudinal Space-Time Correlations of the Velocity Field in Turbulent Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard Convection

We report an experimental investigation of the longitudinal space-time cross-correlation function of the velocity field, $C(r,\tau)$, in a cylindrical turbulent Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection cell using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. We show that while the Taylor's frozen-flow hypothesis does not hold in turbulent thermal convection, the recent elliptic model advanced for turbulent shear flows [He & Zhang, \emph{Phys. Rev. E} \textbf{73}, 055303(R) (2006)] is valid for the present velocity field for all over the cell, i.e., the isocorrelation contours of the measured $C(r,\tau)$ have a shape of elliptical curves and hence $C(r,\tau)$ can be related to $C(r_E,0)$ via $r_E^2=(r-\beta\tau)^2+\gamma^2\tau^2$ with $\beta$ and $\gamma$ being two characteristic velocities. We further show that the fitted $\beta$ is proportional to the mean velocity of the flow, but the values of $\gamma$ are larger than the theoretical predictions. Specifically, we focus on two representative regions in the cell: the region near the cell sidewall and the cell's central region. It is found that $\beta$ and $\gamma$ are approximately the same near the sidewall, while $\beta\simeq0$ at cell center.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, submitted to J. Fluid Mec

Log-Poisson Hierarchical Clustering of Cosmic Neutral Hydrogen and Ly-alpha Transmitted Flux of QSO Absorption Spectrum

we study, in this paper, the non-Gaussian features of the mass density field of neutral hydrogen fluid and the Ly-alpha transmitted flux of QSO absorption spectrum from the point-of-view of self-similar log-Poisson hierarchy. It has been shown recently that, in the scale range from the onset of nonlinear evolution to dissipation, the velocity and mass density fields of cosmic baryon fluid are extremely well described by the She-Leveque's scaling formula, which is due to the log-Poisson hierarchical cascade. Since the mass density ratio between ionized hydrogen to total hydrogen is not uniform in space, the mass density field of neutral hydrogen component is not given by a similar mapping of total baryon fluid. Nevertheless, we show, with hydrodynamic simulation samples of the concordance $\Lambda$CDM universe, that the mass density field of neutral hydrogen, is also well described by the log-Poisson hierarchy. We then investigate the field of Ly$\alpha$ transmitted flux of QSO absorption spectrum. Due to redshift distortion, Ly$\alpha$ transmitted flux fluctuations are no longer to show all features of the log-Poisson hierarchy. However, some non-Gaussian features predicted by the log-Poisson hierarchy are not affected by the redshift distortion. We test these predictions with the high resolution and high S/N data of quasars Ly$\alpha$ absorption spectra. All results given by real data, including $\beta$-hierarchy, high order moments and scale-scale correlation, are found to be well consistent with the log-Poisson hierarchy. We compare the log-Poisson hierarchy with the popular log-normal model of the Ly$\alpha$ transmitted flux. The later is found to yield too strong non-Gaussianity at high orders, while the log-Poisson hierarchy is in agreement with observed data.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Ap