Abstract
The heavy quarks produced in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions are very effective probes of the dense partonic medium produced at RHIC. PHENIX has the ability to measure heavy quark production through single electrons in the central arm spectrometers (|η| < 0.35) and single muons in the forward (backward) muon spectrometers (1.2 < |η| < 2.2). As these single leptons are from open heavy-flavor meson semi-leptonic decays, initial state cold nuclear matter effects on heavy quark production can be probed by measuring the single leptons in d+Au collisions. PHENIX have observed a large enhancement of heavy-flavor electrons in d+Au collisions at mid-rapidity, which indicates strong CNM effects on heavy quark production, in contrast to the suppression observed in Au+Au collisions. Measurement of single muons from open heavy flavor in d+Au collisions at forward (backward) rapidity provide detailed look into rapidity dependent CNM effects as well as the low (high) x parton distribution function within Au nucleus. We discuss recent PHENIX heavy flavor measurements and how they expand our understanding of CNM effects and contribute to the interpretation of other results in heavy-ion collisions.
Highlights
Heavy quarks, mostly charm and bottom, are produced in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions, they are good probes to study the evolution of hot and dense medium which is expected to be produced in the heavy-ion collisions
At mid-rapidity, a huge suppression of heavy-flavor electron production relative to the scaled p+p results are observed in the central Au+Au collisions [1], whereas a clear enhancement is seen in the central d+Au collisions [2]. These results indicate that the suppression of heavy quark production in Au+Au collisions is due to the hot nuclear matter effects
In heavy-ion collisions, the cold nuclear matter (CNM) effects are convoluted in the effects from hot and dense medium, so that it is hard to interpret the results in heavy-ion collisions solely with the hot nuclear effects
Summary
Mostly charm and bottom, are produced in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions, they are good probes to study the evolution of hot and dense medium which is expected to be produced in the heavy-ion collisions. Heavy quark production has been studied in various collision systems. In case of p+p collision, we can test our theoretical predictions based on perturbative QCD (pQCD) for heavy quark production. In d+Au and heavy-ion collisions, we can study initial- and final-state modifications by comparing with the results from p+p collisions. Collisions aItnv√asriNaNnt=y2ie0l0d of heavy-flavor GeV at forward muons as (left) and a function of pT backward (right) in p+p and different centrality of d+Au rapidity. Level of suppression, seen in the central Au+Au collisions at mid-rapidity, is observed in the central Cu+Cu collisions [3], and the pQCD prediction considering additional CNM effects well describe the large suppression at forward region
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