Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Recently Liu, Rajagopal, and Wiedemann (LRW) H. Liu, K. Rajagopal, and U. A. Wiedemann, hep-ph/0605178. proposed a first principle, nonperturbative quantum field theoretic definition of ``jet quenching parameter'' ^q used in models of medium-induced radiative parton energy loss in nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC. Relating ^q to a short-distance behavior of a certain lightlike Wilson loop, they used gauge theory-string theory correspondence to evaluate ^q for the strongly coupled N=4 SU (N₂) gauge theory plasma. We generalize analysis of LRW to strongly coupled nonconformal gauge theory plasma. We find that a jet quenching parameter is gauge theory specific (not universal). Furthermore, it appears its value increases as the number of effective adjoint degrees of freedom of a gauge theory plasma increases.
Alex Buchel (2006) studied this question.