Comparing different freeze-out scenarios in azimuthal hadron correlations induced by fast partons

Abstract

I review the linearized hydrodynamical treatment of a fast parton traversing a perturbative quark–gluon plasma. Using numerical solutions for the medium’s response to the fast parton, I obtain the medium’s distribution function, which is then used in a Cooper–Frye freeze-out prescription to obtain an azimuthal particle spectrum. Two different freeze-out scenarios are considered which yield significantly different results. I conclude that any meaningful comparison of azimuthal hadron correlation functions to RHIC data requires implementing a realistic freeze-out scenario in an expanding medium.