Jet quenching and heavy ion collisions

Abstract

Research in heavy-ion collisions at very high colliding energies has dramatically changed the big picture of the theory of strong interactions under extreme conditions of temperature and density, the so-called hot and dense QCD. This thesis aims precisely at shedding light on the underlying mechanisms responsible for jet energy loss in dense matter, but also to study the medium response to jet propagation. The works presented here have been devised to both reinforce existing studies and provide new insights in the face of deciphering the puzzle of how partons, the jet constituents, lose energy in the medium. Achieving a sound knowledge in this respect will lead to a complete understanding of the cascading of a jet in a medium.