Probing Nuclear Matter with Jet Conversions

Abstract

We discuss the flavor of leading jet partons as a valuable probe of nuclear matter. We point out that the coupling of jets to nuclear matter naturally leads to an alteration of jet chemistry even at high transverse momentum $p_T$. In particular, QCD jets coupling to a chemically equilibrated quark gluon plasma in nuclear collisions, will lead to hadron ratios at high transverse momentum $p_T$ that can differ significantly from their counterparts in $p+p$ collisions. Flavor measurements could complement energy loss as a way to study interactions of hard QCD jets with nuclear matter. Roughly speaking they probe the inverse mean free path $1/\lambda$, while energy loss probes the average squared momentum transfer ${\mu }^2/\lambda$. We present some estimates for the rate of jet conversions in a consistent Fokker-Planck framework and their impact on future high-$p_T$ identified hadron measurements at RHIC and LHC. We also suggest some novel observables to test flavor effects.

12 pages, 11 figures, version to appear in PRC

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• Production and energy loss of strange and heavy quarks
• Medium-induced flavor conversion and kaon spectra in electron-ion collisions
• Strangeness production in high-multiplicity events
• High-P_T Physics with Identified Particles
• RHIC physics overview
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• High Momentum Probes of Nuclear Matter
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