Jets in QCD media: From color coherence to decoherence

We investigate soft gluon radiation off a quark-antiquark antenna in both color singlet and octet configurations traversing a dense medium. We demonstrate that, in both cases, multiple scatterings lead to a gradual decoherence of the antenna radiation as a function of the medium density. In particular, in the limit of a completely opaque medium, total decoherence is obtained, i.e., the quark and the antiquark radiate as independent emitters in vacuum, thus losing memory of their origin.     

NNLO benchmarks for gauge and Higgs boson production at TeV hadron colliders

The inclusive production cross sections for W⁺,W⁻$W^{+},W^{-}$ and Z⁰$Z^0$-bosons form important benchmarks for the physics at hadron colliders. We perform a detailed comparison of the predictions for these standard candles based on recent next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) parton parameterizations and new analyses including the combined HERA data, compare to all available experimental results, and discuss the predictions for present and upcoming RHIC, SPS, Tevatron and LHC energies. The rates for gauge boson production at the LHC can be rather confidently predicted with an accuracy of better than about 10% at NNLO. We also present detailed NNLO predictions for the Higgs boson production cross sections for Tevatron and LHC energies (1.96, 7, 8, 14 TeV), and propose a possible method to monitor the gluon distribution experimentally in the kinematic region close to the mass range expected for the Higgs boson. The production cross sections of the Higgs boson at the LHC are presently predicted with an accuracy of about 10–17%. The inclusion of the NNLO contributions is mandatory for achieving such accuracies since the total uncertainties are substantially larger at NLO.     

Thermo-field dynamics and quark–hadron phase transition in QCD

Based on the topological structure of gauge theory, an effective dual version of QCD has been reviewed and analyzed for the phase structure and color confining properties of QCD by invoking the dynamical magnetic symmetry breaking. The multi-flux-tube configuration of condensed QCD vacuum has been explored and associated glueball masses and inter-quark potential have been derived. Thermal response of QCD vacuum has been analyzed using path-integral formalism alongwith the mean-field approach and associated thermodynamical potential is used to derive thermal form of glueball masses, monopole condensate, inter-quark potential and monopole density which then lead to an estimate of the critical temperature of QCD phase transition. During its thermal evolution, a smooth transition of hadronic system via a weakly bound QGP phase to the fully deconfined phase is established and the thermal evolution profiles of various parameters are shown to indicate a second-order deconfinement phase transition and the restoration of magnetic symmetry. Monopole density calculations have been shown to lead to gradual evaporation of magnetic condensate into thermal monopoles during QCD phase transition.     

Long range correlations in high multiplicity hadron collisions: Building bridges with ridges

We discuss the physics of the ridge–azimuthally collimated long range rapidity correlations–in high multiplicity proton–proton and proton–nucleus collisions. We outline some of the theoretical discussions in the literature that address the systematics of these ridge correlations.     

Perturbative QCD correction to the B → π transition form factor

We report on the perturbative O(_s) correction to the light-cone QCD sum rule for the B → π transition form factor f⁺. The correction to the product f_Bf⁺ in leading twist approximation is found to be about 30%, that is similar in magnitude to the corresponding O(_s) correction in the two-point sum rule for f_B. The resulting cancellation of large QCD corrections in f⁺ eliminates one important uncertainty in the sum-rule prediction for this form factor.     

Singular and regular gauges in soft–collinear effective theory: The introduction of the new Wilson line T

Gauge invariance in soft–collinear effective theory (SCET) is discussed in regular (covariant) and singular (light-cone) gauges. It is argued that SCET, as it stands, is not capable to define in a gauge invariant way certain non-perturbative matrix elements that are an integral part of many factorization theorems. Those matrix elements involve two quark or gluon fields separated not only in light-cone direction but also in the transverse one. This observation limits the range of applicability of SCET. To remedy this we argue that one needs to introduce a new Wilson line as part of SCET formalism, that we call T. This Wilson line depends only on the transverse component of the gluon field. As such it is a new feature to the SCET formalism and it guarantees gauge invariance of the non-perturbative matrix elements in both classes of gauges.     

Hard exclusive photoproduction of Φ and J/Ψ mesons

We calculate the leading-order perturbative contribution to γp→M_Vp, with M_V being a Φ or J/Ψ meson, in the kinematic region of large energy and scattering angle.     

Projectile fragmentation in hadron collisions

A model is formulated for projectile fragmentation in hadron collisions and is used to study the longitudinal-momentum dependence of the single-particle inclusive cross sections. The inclusive cross section consists of two parts due to the initial decay and many-particle production effects, the latter decreasing more rapidly than the former as the longitudinal momentum increases. The variety in the longitudinal-momentum dependence of the cross sections is explained naturally by the different weights of the two effects for the produced particles.     

Photon + hadron production in high energy deuteron (proton)–nucleus collisions

We apply the color glass condensate formalism to photon + hadron production cross section in high energy deuteron (proton)–gold collisions at RHIC. We investigate the dependence of the production cross section on the angle between the produced hadron and photon for various rapidities and transverse momenta. It is shown that the angular correlation between the produced hadron and photon is a sensitive probe of the saturation dynamics.     

Limiting fragmentation in hadron–hadron collisions at high energies

Limiting fragmentation in proton–proton, deuteron–nucleus and nucleus–nucleus collisions is analyzed in the framework of the Balitsky–Kovchegov equation in high energy QCD. Good agreement with experimental data is obtained for a wide range of energies. Further detailed tests of limiting fragmentation at RHIC and the LHC will provide insight into the evolution equations for high energy QCD.     

Clustering patterns in high-energy hadron collisions

The event-to-event fluctuations of the rapidity distributions are analyzed for semi-inclusive data obtained from 205 GeV/c and 303 GeV/c proton-proton collisions observed at NAL. The results indicate the presence of clustering effects, with cluster sizes approximating those observed in the quasi-elastic events. The average cluster size appears to be independent of the multiplicity of the final state.     

Short-range correlations in high-energy hadron collisions

High-energy collisions of hadrons on nuclei are studied by means of Glauber multiple scattering theory, using Jastrow correlated wave functions. To this end a cluster expansion is derived, and its convergence properties are studied. Calculations have been carried out for ⁴He and ¹⁶O nuclei, and they are compared with experimental data.     

Pseudoscalar quarkonium exclusive decays to vector meson pair

The pseudoscalar quarkonia exclusive decays to light mesons still poses a challenge to the theoretical understanding of quarkonium properties in decay. In this work, we evaluate the processes of pseudoscalar heavy quarkonium decays into vector meson pairs, especially the helicity suppressed processes of ηb→J/ψJ/ψ and ηc→VV. In the framework of NRQCD, the branching fraction of Br[ηb→J/ψJ/ψ] are evaluated at the next-to-leading order of perturbative QCD; and within the light-cone distribution formalism, we calculate also the higher twist effects in these processes. Numerical results show that the higher twist terms contribute more than what from the NLO QCD corrections in the process of ηb→J/ψJ/ψ. It is found that the experimental results on ηc→VV are hard to be understood by merely the quark model and perturbative QCD calculation.     

Thermal hadron production in Si-Au collisions

The most abundantly produced hadron species in Si - Au collisions at the BNL-AGS (nucleons, pions, kaons, antikaons and hyperons) are shown to be in accord with emission from a thermal resonance gas source. Within the uncertainties of the present data, two freeze-out points are possible. The best agreement is obtained for a temperature T ? 110 MeV and a baryochemical potential μ_B ? 540 MeV, corresponding to about 1/3 standard nuclear density. Another possible point lies at about twice nuclear density, with T ? 160 MeV and μ_B ? 620 MeV. Our analysis takes the isopin asymmetry of the initial state fully into account.