Jets and high pT hadrons in dense matter: recent results from STAR.

We review recent measurements of high transverse momentum (high pT) hadron production in nuclear collisions by the STAR Collaboration at RHIC. The previously observed suppression in central Au+Au collisions has been extended to much higher pT. New measurements from d+Au collisions are presented which help disentangle the mechanisms responsible for the suppression. Inclusive single hadron spectra are enhanced in d+Au relative to p+p, while two-particle azimuthal distributions are observed to be similar in p+p, d+Au and peripheral Au+Au collisions. The large suppression of inclusive hadron production and absence of the away-side jet-like correlations in central Au+Au collisions are shown to be due to interactions of the jets with the very dense medium produced in these collisions. © 2004 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]