The broad away side of azimuthal correlations: 3 vs 2 final state particles in high energy nuclear collisions

Alejandro Ayala, Jamal Jalilian-Marian, J. Magnin, Antonio Ortiz, G. Paic, Maria Elena Tejeda-Yeomans

Published 2011-05-12Version 1

In high energy heavy ion collisions at RHIC there are important aspects of the medium induced dynamics, that are still not well understood. In particular, there is a broadening and even a double hump structure of the away-side peak appearing in azimuthal correlation studies in Au+Au collisions which is absent in p+p collisions at the same energies. These features are already present but suppressed in p+p collisions: 2 to 3 parton processes produce such structures but are suppressed with respect to 2 to 2 processes. We argue that in A+A collisions the different geometry for the trajectories of 3 as opposed to 2 particles in the final state, together with the medium induced energy loss effects on the different cross sections, create a scenario that enhances processes with 3 particles in the final state, which gives on average this double hump structure.