Energy and system dependence of high-pT triggered two-particle near-side correlations

Previous studies have indicated that the near-side peak of high-pT triggered correlations can be decomposed into two parts, the Jet and the Ridge. We present data on the yield per trigger of the Jet and the Ridge from d+Au, Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions at √(sNN)=62.4 GeV and 200 GeV and compare data on the Jet to PYTHIA 8.1 simulations for p+p. PYTHIA describes the Jet component up to a scaling factor, meaning that PYTHIA can provide a better understanding of the Ridge by giving insight into the effects of the kinematic cuts. We present collision energy and system dependence of the Ridge yield, which should help distinguish models for the production mechanism of the Ridge. (orig.)