Constraints on quark energy loss from Drell-Yan data

Abstract

A leading-order analysis of E866/NuSea and NA3 Drell-Yan data in nuclei is carried out. At Fermilab energy, the large uncertainties in the amount of sea quark shadowing prohibit clarifying the origin of the nuclear dependence observed experimentally. On the other hand, the small shadowing contribution to the Drell-Yan process in pi- A collisions at SPS allows one to set tight constraints on the energy loss of fast quarks in nuclear matter. We find the transport coefficient to be q = 0.24+/-0.18 GeV/fm^2 that corresponds to a mean energy loss per unit length -dE/dz = 0.20+/-0.15 GeV/fm for E > 50 GeV quarks in a large (A=200) nucleus.

14 pages, 2 figures. New modelling of the quenching, conclusions unchanged. Accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B