Detailed Characterization Of Jets In Heavy Ion Collisions Using Jet Fragmentation Functions

Detailed Characterization of Jets in Heavy Ion Collisions Using Jet Fragmentation Functions

In this thesis the jet fragmentation function of inclusive jets with transverse momentum PT > 100 GeV/c in PbPb collisions is measured for reconstructed charged particles with PT > 1 GeV/c within the jet cone. A data sample of PbPb collisions collected in 2011 at a center-of-mass energy of [square root of]sNN = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 150 [mu]b-1 is used. The results for PbPb collisions as a function of collision centrality are compared to reference distributions based on pp data collected at the same collision energy. A centrality-dependent modification of the fragmentation function is revealed. For the most central collisions a significant enhancement is observed in the PbPb/pp fragmentation function ratio for the charged particles with PT less than 3 GeV/c.

Jet Quenching in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions at the LHC

This thesis presents the first measurements of jets in relativistic heavy ion collisions as reported by the ATLAS Collaboration. These include the first direct observation of jet quenching through the observation of a centrality-dependent dijet asymmetry. Also, a series of jet suppression measurements are presented, which provide quantitative constraints on theoretical models of jet quenching. These results follow a detailed introduction to heavy ion physics with emphasis on the phenomenon of jet quenching and a comprehensive description of the ATLAS detector and its capabilities with regard to performing these measurements.

High Energy Physics