Three and Two Hadron Correlations in √sNN=200 GeV Proton-Proton and Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions

We compare the azimuthal correlations arising from three and two hadron production in p + p and Au + Au collisions at root s(NN) = 200 GeV. We show that in Au + Au, the two away side partons in two-to-three processes have in average a smaller and a greater path length than the average path length of the away-side parton in two-to-two processes. Since in average the particle with the shortest path length in two-to-three processes loses less energy, with respect to the away-side particle in two-to-two processes, this effect leads to a relative enhancement of the ratio of two-to-three to two-to-two processes in Au + Au compared to p + p collisions. We argue that this phenomenon may be responsible for the shape of the away side in azimuthal correlations at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider.