Heavy-to-light ratios as a test of medium-induced energy loss at RHIC and the LHC

The ratio of nuclear modification factors of high-$p_T$ heavy-flavored mesons tolight-flavored hadrons (heavy-to-light ratio) is shown to be a sensitive tool to test medium-induced energy loss at RHIC and LHC energies. Heavy-to-light ratios of $D$ mesons at RHIC in the region $7<p_T<12$ GeV, and of $D$ and $B$ mesons at the LHC in the region $10<p_T<20$ GeV, are proposed for such a test. Finally, the different contributions to the nuclear modification factor for electrons at RHIC are analyzed. Preliminary PHENIX and STAR data are compatible with radiative energy loss provided the contribution of electrons from beauty decays is small compared to that from charm.Comment: 5 pages, latex, 4 eps figs included using graphicx; to appear in the proceedings of 18th International Conference on Ultrarelativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions: Quark Matter 2005 (QM 2005), Budapest, Hungary, 4-9 Aug 200

Nuclear Structure Functions and Heavy Flavour Leptoproduction Off the Nucleus at Small x in Perturbative QCD

Nuclear structure functions and cross-sections for heavy flavour production in lepton-nucleus collisions are investigated in the low $x$ region accessible now or in the near future. The scattering on a heavy nucleus is described by the sum of fan diagrams of BFKL pomerons, which is exact in the high-colour limit. The initial condition for the evolution at $x=0.01$ is taken from a saturation model, which reproduces the experimental data on the proton. The $A$ dependence of the structure functions is well described by a power factor $A^\alpha$, with $\alpha$ reaching values as low as 1/2 at extremely low $x$. The total cross-sections for heavy flavour production reach values of the order of mb, and the corresponding transverse momentum distributions are sizeable up to transverse momenta larger than the initial large scale $\sqrt{Q^2+4m_f^2}$.Comment: LaTeX2e, 16 pages, 6 eps figures included using epsfig; final version, some comments added, results and conclusions unchange

Gluon distributions in nuclei at small x: guidance from different models

Different approaches to gluon shadowing at small x are reviewed. Some available results relevant for RHIC and LHC are compared.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX2e, uses enclosed cernrep.cls, one eps figure enclosed using graphicx, contribution to the Yellow Report on Hard Probes in Heavy Ion Collisions at the LH

Monte Carlo for Jet Showers in the Medium

The most commonly employed formalisms of radiative energy loss have been derived in the high- energy approximation. In its present form, it is reliable only for the medium modifications of inclusive particle spectra. Modifications to this formalism are expected to be important for less inclusive measurements. This is especially relevant for reconstructed jets in heavy-ion collisions, which are becoming available only recently. We present some ideas to overcome this limitation. Specifically, we show an implementation of radiative energy loss within a jet parton shower. This implementation has been done within the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator. We present the publicly available routine Q-PYTHIA and discuss some of the obtained physics results.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figures - To appear in the conference proceedings for Quark Matter 2009, March 30 - April 4, Knoxville, Tennessee. Final version with minor typos correcte

On the long-range correlations in hadron-nucleus collisions

Long-range correlations between multiplicities in different rapidity windows in hadron-nucleus collisions are analyzed. After recalling the standard results in the probabilistic model, we study them in the framework of perturbative QCD. Considering interacting BFKL pomerons in the form of fan diagrams coupled to a dilute projectile, analytic estimates are done for very large rapidities. The correlation strength results weakly depending on energy and centrality or nuclear size, and generically greater than unity. Finally, we turn to the Color Glass Condensate framework. For a saturated projectile and considering the most feasible experimental situation of forward and backward rapidity windows symmetric around the center-of-mass, the resulting correlation strength turns out to be larger than unity and shows a non-monotonic behavior with increasing energy, first increasing and then decreasing to a limiting value. Its behavior with increasing centrality or nuclear size depends on the considered rapidity windows.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 6 eps figures included using graphicx; v2: error in the CGC formula corrected, conclusions of the corresponding section changed accordingl

Medium-Induced Gluon Radiation off Massive Quarks Fills the Dead Cone

We calculate the transverse momentum dependence of the medium-induced gluon energy distribution radiated off massive quarks in spatially extended QCD matter. In the absence of a medium, the distribution shows a characteristic mass-dependent depletion of the gluon radiation for angles smaller than m/E, the so-called dead cone effect. Medium-modifications of this spectrum are calculated as a function of quark mass, initial quark energy, in-medium pathlength and density. Generically, medium-induced gluon radiation is found to fill the dead cone, but it is reduced at large gluon energies compared to the radiation off light quarks. We quantify the resulting mass-dependence for momentum-averaged quantities (gluon energy distribution and average parton energy loss), compare it to simple approximation schemes and discuss its observable consequences for nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC and LHC. In particular, our analysis does not favor the complete disappearance of energy loss effects from leading open charm spectra at RHIC.Comment: 27 pages LaTeX, 15 eps-figure

Nuclear Structure Functions at Small x from Inelastic Shadowing and Diffraction

Nuclear structure functions at small x and small or moderate $Q^2$ are studied using the relation with diffraction on nucleons which arises from Gribov's Reggeon Calculus. A reasonable description of experimental data is obtained with no fitted parameters. A comparison with other models and predictions for future lepton-ion colliders are provided. Consequences for the reduction of multiplicities in nucleus-nucleus collisions at energies of RHIC and LHC are examined.Comment: LaTeX, 32 pages, 14 eps figures included using epsfig; 1 reference update

Medium-induced emissions of hard gluons

We present a derivation of the medium-induced gluon radiation spectrum beyond the current limitation of soft gluon emission. Making use of the path integral approach to describe the propagation of high-energy particles inside a medium, we study the limiting case of a hard gluon emission. Analytical and numerical results are presented and discussed within the multiple soft scattering approximation. An ansatz interpolating between soft and hard gluon emissions is provided. The Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect is observed in the expected kinematic region.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. Minor corrections, references updated. Accepted by Phys. Lett.