Measurement of photon-jet transverse momentum correlations in 5.02 TeV Pb + Pb and pp collisions with ATLAS

Jets created in association with a photon can be used as a calibrated probe to study energy loss in the medium created in nuclear collisions. Measurements of the transverse momentum balance between isolated photons and inclusive jets are presented using integrated luminosities of 0.49 nb(-1) of Pb + Pb collision data at root(NN)-N-s = 5.02 TeV and 25 pb(-1) of pp collision data at. root s= 5.02 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Photons with transverse momentum 63.1 < p(T)(gamma) < 200 GeV and vertical bar eta(gamma vertical bar) < 2.37 are paired with all jets in the event that have p(T)(jet) > 31.6 GeV and pseudorapidity vertical bar eta(Jet)vertical bar < 2.8. The transverse momentum balance given by the jet-to-photon p(T) ratio, x(j gamma), is measured for pairs with azimuthal opening angle Delta phi > 7 pi/8. Distributions of the per-photon jet yield as a function of x(j gamma), (1/N-gamma)(dN/dx(j gamma)), are corrected for detector effects via a two-dimensional unfolding procedure and reported at the particle level. In pp collisions, the distributions are well described by Monte Carlo event generators. In Pb + Pb collisions, the x(j gamma) distribution is modified from that observed in pp collisions with increasing centrality, consistent with the picture of parton energy loss in the hot nuclear medium. The data are compared with a suite of energy-loss models and calculations. (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.