Equation of state dependence of Mach cone-like structures in Au+Au collisions

Abstract

In jet quenching, a hard QCD parton, before fragmenting into a jet of hadrons, deposits a fraction of its energy in the medium. As the parton moves nearly with the speed of light, much greater than the speed of sound of the medium, jet quenching can generate Mach shock waves. We have examined the possibility of Mach shock wave formation due to jet quenching. Assuming that the deposited energy quickly thermalizes, we simulate the hydrodynamic evolution of the QGP fluid with a quenching jet and subsequent particle production. Angular distribution of pions, averaged over all the jet trajectories, resembles ‘conical flow’ due to Mach shock wave formation. However, the speed of sound dependence of the simulated Mach angles is at variance with that due to shock wave formation in a static medium or in a medium with finite velocity.