An improved linear Boltzmann transport model for hadron and jet suppression in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

Jets serve as powerful tomographic probes of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. While the expanding landscape of jet observables reveals multi-faceted aspects of jet-medium interactions, a precise and simultaneous description of the nuclear modification factors of hadrons and full jets remains a challenge for theoretical models. In this work, we present two essential improvements to the linear Boltzmann transport (LBT) model to bridge this gap. First, instead of implementing in-medium parton transport after vacuum parton showers complete, we introduce a medium scale at which in-medium parton transport is inserted into the vacuum parton showers, providing a more physical picture of parton-QGP interactions. Second, we incorporate color flow information into the LBT model, enabling string connections between partons whose configurations are correlated with the medium-modified parton showers before hadronization. We demonstrate that both improvements alter the predicted ratio of hadron to jet quenching, leading to a satisfactory unified description of the nuclear modification factors of hadrons and jets with different flavors.