Indications of suppressed high p_T hadron production in nucleus-nucleus collisions at CERN-SPS

Inclusive pion production at high transverse momenta (p_T > 2 GeV/c) in nucleus-nucleus (A+A) collisions at CERN SPS (sqrt(s_NN)~20 GeV) is revisited and systematically compared to all existing proton-proton data in the same range of center-of-mass energies. The ratio of A+A to p+p pion cross-sections (nuclear modification factor) for 0-8% central Pb+Pb, Pb+Au and S+Au reactions does not show a strong enhancement as a function of p_T as previously found, but is consistent with scaling with the number of nucleon-nucleon (NN) collisions. Neutral pion yields per NN collision in head-on Pb+Pb reactions are suppressed, whereas peripheral yields are enhanced. These results together indicate that some amount of ``jet quenching'' may already be present in central heavy-ion reactions at sqrt(s_NN)~20 GeV.