Speaker
Description
We present the first perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) predictions for modifications to high-momentum particle yields in very light ion collisions—${}^{10}\mathrm{B}+{}^{10}\mathrm{B}$, ${}^{6}\mathrm{Li}+{}^{6}\mathrm{Li}$, ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}+{}^{4}\mathrm{He}$, and ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}+{}^{3}\mathrm{He}$—with and without medium-induced energy loss. We find that our energy loss framework predicts a simple approximate system-size dependence, $R_{AB} \sim (\sqrt{AB})^{1/3}$, for both symmetric and asymmetric $A+B$ systems, with measurable suppression persisting down to ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}+{}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ collisions. The framework incorporates small-system-size corrections, quantifies theoretical uncertainties, and is constrained by a broad set of high-$p_T$ data in large systems, yielding predictions for recently measured oxygen and neon collisions that are in good agreement with preliminary data. We compare these energy loss predictions to baseline next-to-leading-order pQCD calculations including nuclear parton distribution functions to estimate the discovery potential for final-state partonic energy loss in very light-ion collisions. Owing to tightly constrained nuclear parton distribution functions, we find that ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and ${}^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ are especially clean environments for isolating partonic energy loss. These results will inform the physics case for future light-ion runs at LHC.
| Is this an experimental talk? | No |
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| Is this on behalf of a collaboration? | No |
| Are you willing to present as a poster if it is not selected for oral presentation? | Yes |