Nuclear suppression of image: From RHIC to the LHC

A parameter-free calculation for image suppression in pA collisions, based on the dipole description, is confronted with the new data from the PHENIX experiment. Achieving good agreement, we employed this model predicting the contribution of initial state interactions (ISI) to image suppression in AA collisions. Such a transition from pA to AA is not straightforward, since involves specific effects of double color filtering and boosting of the saturation scale. Relying on this refined ISI contribution, we updated the previous analysis of RHIC data on image production in Cu–Cu and Au–Au collisions at image, and determined the transport coefficient of the created dense medium at image. Nuclear effects for image production at the LHC are predicted using the transport coefficient image, extracted from data on suppression of high-image hadrons in central lead–lead collisions at image. Our analysis covers only direct image production, while data may also include the feed-down from decay of heavier states and B-mesons.