Seminar in Hadronic Physics

Energy Correlators: A new window into jet substructure in heavy-ion collisions

Carlota Andres

MIT

Recent advances in conformal field theory have led to the reformulation of collider jet substructure as the study of correlation functions of the energy flux, known as energy correlators. In this talk, I will introduce energy correlator observables and highlight the advantages of their use to probe the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) produced in heavy-ion collisions. I will also discuss the recently unveiled measurement of the two-point energy correlator in lead-lead collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Building on the unique properties of energy correlators, I will present the first-ever jet substructure observable that corrects for the leading-order effects of selection bias due to energy loss, an issue that often complicates the interpretation of jet substructure measurements in heavy-ion collisions. These insights pave the way for a more accurate characterization of QGP-induced modifications to jet substructure.