Jet modification via π0 -hadron correlations in Au+Au collisions at SNN =200 GeV

High-momentum two-particle correlations are a useful tool for studying jet-quenching effects in the quark-gluon plasma. Angular correlations between neutral-pion triggers and charged hadrons with transverse momenta in the range 4-12 GeV/c and 0.5-7 GeV/c, respectively, have been measured by the PHENIX experiment in 2014 for Au+Au collisions at sNN=200 GeV. Suppression is observed in the yield of high-momentum jet fragments opposite the trigger particle, which indicates jet suppression stemming from in-medium partonic energy loss, while enhancement is observed for low-momentum particles. The ratio and differences between the yield in Au+Au collisions and p+p collisions, IAA and ΔAA, as a function of the trigger-hadron azimuthal separation, Δφ, are measured for the first time at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. These results better quantify how the yield of low-pT associated hadrons is enhanced at wide angle, which is crucial for studying energy loss as well as medium-response effects.