Jet probes of the quark-gluon plasma: experiment and simulation

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/8336h356p

Abstract

When heavy nuclei hit each other at almost the speed of light, a new state of matter termed “quark- gluon plasma” (QGP) is briefly produced. In these collisions, the particles with the highest momenta that later form “jets” move through the plasma and lose some of that momentum because of the very strong interactions. It is impossible to directly observe the QGP because it is too short lived, but it is possible to measure the energy of the jets produced and compare them to jets from collisions that do not have a QGP. The comparisons can help quantify the extent to which the jets have lost energy. This, combined with other information about the collision, can help characterize the expansion and flow of the plasma. These collisions are being studied experimentally in the sPHENIX detector and can also be simulated. In this thesis, we explore the experimental methods used at the sPHENIX detector, as well as the construction process for new detectors. Additionally, we present preliminary results from a publicly available Monte Carlo simulation called Jewel. The results suggest that “jet quenching” is occurring, which means that Jewel is likely a valuable tool to explore low momentum jet kinematics.

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