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Title: Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV

Abstract

The PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has measured electrons with 0.3<p{sub T}<9 GeV/c at midrapidity (|y|<0.35) from heavy-flavor (charm and bottom) decays in Au+Au collisions at {radical}(s{sub NN})=200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} relative to p+p collisions shows a strong suppression in central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks in the medium produced at RHIC energies. A large azimuthal anisotropy v2 with respect to the reaction plane is observed for 0.5<p{sub T}<5 GeV/c indicating substantial heavy-flavor elliptic flow. Both R{sub AA} and v{sub 2} show a p{sub T} dependence different from those of neutral pions. A comparison to transport models which simultaneously describe R{sub AA}(p{sub T}) and v{sub 2}(p{sub T}) suggests that the viscosity to entropy density ratio is close to the conjectured quantum lower bound, i.e., near a perfect fluid.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. ORNL
  2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) & Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
  3. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
931514
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 98; Journal Issue: 17; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS; 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS; ANISOTROPY; BNL; ELECTRONS; ENTROPY; HEAVY IONS; MODIFICATIONS; PIONS; QUARKS; TRANSPORT; VISCOSITY; ATOM-ATOM COLLISIONS; GOLD

Citation Formats

Awes, Terry C, Batsouli, Sotiria, Cianciolo, Vince, Efremenko, Yuri, Plasil, F, Read, Jr, Kenneth F, Silvermyr, David O, Sorensen, Soren P, Stankus, Paul W, Young, Glenn R, Zhang, Chun, and PHENIX, Collaboration. Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. United States: N. p., 2007. Web.
Awes, Terry C, Batsouli, Sotiria, Cianciolo, Vince, Efremenko, Yuri, Plasil, F, Read, Jr, Kenneth F, Silvermyr, David O, Sorensen, Soren P, Stankus, Paul W, Young, Glenn R, Zhang, Chun, & PHENIX, Collaboration. Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. United States.
Awes, Terry C, Batsouli, Sotiria, Cianciolo, Vince, Efremenko, Yuri, Plasil, F, Read, Jr, Kenneth F, Silvermyr, David O, Sorensen, Soren P, Stankus, Paul W, Young, Glenn R, Zhang, Chun, and PHENIX, Collaboration. 2007. "Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV". United States.
@article{osti_931514,
title = {Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV},
author = {Awes, Terry C and Batsouli, Sotiria and Cianciolo, Vince and Efremenko, Yuri and Plasil, F and Read, Jr, Kenneth F and Silvermyr, David O and Sorensen, Soren P and Stankus, Paul W and Young, Glenn R and Zhang, Chun and PHENIX, Collaboration},
abstractNote = {The PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has measured electrons with 0.3<p{sub T}<9 GeV/c at midrapidity (|y|<0.35) from heavy-flavor (charm and bottom) decays in Au+Au collisions at {radical}(s{sub NN})=200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} relative to p+p collisions shows a strong suppression in central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks in the medium produced at RHIC energies. A large azimuthal anisotropy v2 with respect to the reaction plane is observed for 0.5<p{sub T}<5 GeV/c indicating substantial heavy-flavor elliptic flow. Both R{sub AA} and v{sub 2} show a p{sub T} dependence different from those of neutral pions. A comparison to transport models which simultaneously describe R{sub AA}(p{sub T}) and v{sub 2}(p{sub T}) suggests that the viscosity to entropy density ratio is close to the conjectured quantum lower bound, i.e., near a perfect fluid.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/931514}, journal = {Physical Review Letters},
issn = {0031-9007},
number = 17,
volume = 98,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}