A simple model for nuclear structure functions at small xx in the dipole picture

A simple model for nuclear structure functions in the region of small x and small and moderate $Q^2$, is presented. It is a parameter-free extension, in the Glauber-Gribov approach to nuclear collisions, of a saturation model for the nucleon. A reasonable agreement with experimental data on ratios of nuclear structure functions is obtained. Nuclear effects in the longitudinal-to-transverse cross section ratios are found to be small. Predictions of the model for values of $x$ smaller than those available to present experiments are given. The unintegrated gluon distribution and the behaviour of the saturation scale which result from this model are shown and discussed.Comment: LaTeX, 27 pages, 9 postscript figures included using epsfig; final version: discussion on geometrical scaling clarified, comparison of gluon densities with other approaches added, Fig. 8 redone, references added and updated, some misprints corrected, results and conclusions unchange

Predictions for the heavy-ion programme at the Large Hadron Collider

I review the main predictions for the heavy-ion programme at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, as available in early April 2009. I begin by remembering the standard claims made in view of the experimental data measured at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN and at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the BNL. These claims will be used for later discussion of the new opportunities at the LHC. Next I review the generic, qualitative expectations for the LHC. Then I turn to quantitative predictions: First I analyze observables which characterize directly the medium produced in the collisions - bulk observables or soft probes -: multiplicities, collective flow, hadrochemistry at low transverse momentum, correlations and fluctuations. Second, I move to calibrated probes of the medium i.e. typically those whose expectation in the absence of any medium can be described in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) using perturbative techniques (pQCD), usually called hard probes. I discuss particle production at large transverse momentum and jets, heavy-quark and quarkonium production, and photons and dileptons. Finally, after a brief review of pA collisions, I end with a summary and a discussion about the potentiality of the measurements at the LHC - particularly those made during the first run - to further substantiate or, on the contrary, disproof the picture of the medium that has arisen from the confrontation between the SPS and RHIC data, and theoretical models.Comment: 64 pages, 40 figures, 7 tables; invited review for "Quark-Gluon Plasma 4"; v2: small changes, some predictions and references added, final versio

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

Heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider: a review of the results from Run 1

We present an overview of the results obtained in pPb and PbPb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider during Run 1. We first discuss the results for global characteristics: cross sections, hadron multiplicities, azimuthal asymmetries, correlations at low transverse momentum, hadrochemistry, and femtoscopy. We then review hard and electromagnetic probes: particles with high transverse momentum, jets, heavy quarks, quarkonium, electroweak bosons and high transverse momentum photons, low transverse momentum photons and dileptons, and ultraperipheral collisions. We mainly focus on the experimental results, and present very briefly the main current theoretical explanations.Comment: 33 pages, 29 figure

Study of D-mesons using hadronic decay channels with the ALICE detector

At LHC energy, heavy quarks will be abundantly produced and the design of the ALICE Experiment will allow us to study their production using several channels. We investigate the feasibility of the study of D mesons reconstructed in their exclusive hadronic decay channel. After reviewing the ALICE potential for such studies, we will present some results for the two more promising decay channels i.e D0->KPi and D+ -> K-Pi+Pi+ obtained with 7 TeV pp data and 5.5 A TeV Pb-Pb Monte Carlo data .Comment: 4 Pages, 5 Figures. Conference Proceeding to be published in Nuclear Physics

Background subtraction and jet quenching on jet reconstruction

In order to assess the ability of jet observables to constrain the characteristics of the medium produced in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC, we investigate the influence of background subtraction and jet quenching on jet reconstruction, with focus on the dijet asymmetry as currently studied by ATLAS and CMS. Using a toy model, we examine the influence of different background subtraction methods on dijet momentum imbalance and azimuthal distributions. We compare the usual jet-area based background subtraction technique and a variant of the noise-pedestal subtraction method used by CMS. The purpose of this work is to understand what are the differences between the two techniques, given the same event configuration. We analyze the influence of the quenching effect using the Q-PYTHIA Monte Carlo on the previous observables and to what extent Q-PYTHIA is able to reproduce the CMS data for the average missing transverse momentum that seems to indicate the presence of large angle emission of soft particles.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings for Hard Probes 201

Collective behavior in nuclear interactions and shower development

The mechanism of hadronic interactions at very high energies is still unclear. Available accelerator data constrain weakly the forward rapidity region which determines the development of atmospheric showers. This ignorance is one of the main sources of uncertainty in the determination of the energy and composition of the primary in hadron-induced atmospheric showers. In this paper we examine the effect on the shower development of two kinds of collective effects in high-energy hadronic interactions which modify the production of secondary particles. The first mechanism, modeled as string fusion, affects strongly the central rapidity region but only slightly the forward region and is shown to have very little effect on the shower development. The second mechanism implies a very strong stopping; it affects modestly the profile of shower maximum but broadens considerably the number distribution of muons at ground. For the latter mechanism, the development of air showers is faster mimicking a heavier projectile. On the other hand, the number of muons at ground is lowered, resembling a shower generated by a lighter primary.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

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