Study of jet properties with the STAR experiment at RHIC

Jets, collimated sprays of particles, are considered as an ideal tool for studies of the theory of strong interaction (Quantum ChromoDynamics, QCD) in proton-proton collisions at high energies accessible at the largest colliders in the world, RHIC at BNL and LHC at CERN. Moreover, in heavy-ion collisions, jets serve as a valuable probe of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), a new state of matter in which basic building blocks of matter, quarks and gluons are deconfined and resemble the state of our Universe in the first moments after the Big Bang. High statistics data collected by the STAR experiment at RHIC in combination with new analysis techniques allow to study jets including also their sub-structure and bring thus new, more detailed information about QCD and QGP properties. The project is focused on the experimental task of jet reconstruction and its direct application to the STAR data along with performing various Monte Carlo simulations.

Tasks:

1. Develop analysis code for jet reconstruction and substructure studies, using methods such as energy–energy correlators or the Lund plane in p+/Au+Au collisions (to be specified based on the evolving focus of the STAR Collaboration).

2. Perform Monte Carlo simulations and derive corrections for measured data.

3. Evaluate systematic uncertainties of the measured observables.

4. Compare the results with state-of-the-art theoretical predictions.