EMMI Workshop: Light-ion collisions 2026

Light-ion collisions provide a unique opportunity to investigate the transition between small and large collision systems and to explore the onset of jet quenching. Following the dedicated O+O and Ne+Ne runs at the LHC in 2025, recent measurements by ALICE and CMS have established evidence for parton energy loss in O+O collisions, motivating detailed theoretical studies. In this contribution, we present predictions for high-pT observables in O+O, Ne+Ne, and intermediate Xe+Xe collisions using the Dynamical Radiative and Elastic ENergy loss Approach (DREENA). The DREENA framework has successfully described a broad range of high-pT observables in heavy-ion collisions. Our results provide new insights into parton energy loss in light-ion collisions, the influence of the initial geometry on high-pT observables, and the evolution of parton energy loss across different collision-system sizes.