Mach cones in viscous heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

The formation of Mach cones is studied in a full $(3+1)$-dimensional setup of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, considering a transverse and longitudinal expanding medium at Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider energies. For smooth initial conditions and central collisions the jet-medium interaction is investigated using high-energy jets and various values of the ratio of shear viscosity over entropy density, $\eta/s$. For small viscosities, the formation of Mach cones is proven, whereas for larger viscosities the characteristic structures smear out and vanish eventually. The formation of a double-peak structure both in a single- and in a multiple-jet event is discussed.