Qualitative and Quantitative Energy Loss?

Abstract

Despite the 300% systematic theoretical uncertainty associated with extracting qhat using current energy loss models due to the collinear approximation, and despite the uncertainties in the initial geometry and corrections due to the fluctuations in the initial overlap of a heavy ion collision, a simultaneous description of high-pT pi^0 RAA and v2 is not possible with current pQCD-based energy loss models. However a good description of out-of-plane RAA as a function of centrality is possible. Alternatively, energy loss models based on AdS/CFT give a better qualitative description of pi^0 and non-photonic electron RAA as well as high-pT ratios of antiprotons to pi^- production than those based on pQCD.