PHENIX Measurement of B → J/ψ in Cu+Au collisions at [formula omitted] and in p+p collisions at 200 GeV and 510 GeV

Abstract

This study is part of the RHIC program to probe properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma medium properties using heavy quark energy loss. Part of the control of these measurements is to understand initial production of heavy quarks and how initial conditions in nucleus collisions can alter their yields. This manuscript reports the effort made by the PHENIX collaboration to measure total B-mesons yields, by looking at the fraction of muons from non-prompt J/ψ decays at displaced vertices in p+p and Cu+Au collisions. The total cross-sections of b-quarks in 200 GeV and 510 GeV p+p collisions follow the increasing trend from fixed target experiments to high energy results from the Tevatron and the LHC. Integrated pT and centrality B-meson yields in Cu+Au integrated over transverse momentum and centrality are consistent with no nuclear modification or some enhancement, in contrast to prompt J/ψ which shows a strong suppression.