Radiative energy loss in a temperature-evolving quark-gluon plasma with dynamical constituents
Phys. Rev. C 114, 014917 – Published 27 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bdkf-3x4p
Abstract
We present a theoretical formalism for calculating first-order-in-opacity radiative energy loss that incorporates the spatial and temporal temperature evolution of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in a finite-size quantum chromodynamics medium with dynamical (i.e., moving) constituents. The derived expressions allow for general temperature profiles within a local-equilibrium (slowly varying) approximation, enabling detailed evaluations of radiative energy loss across different medium-evolution scenarios. Importantly, the resulting kernel applies to single partons and, after imposing the finite-cone selection, to the radiative out-of-cone contribution from a jet-initiating parton, providing a unified starting point for precision QGP tomography.
