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Toward an understanding of the single electron data measured at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)

Journal Article · · Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics
;  [1]
  1. SUBATECH, Universite de Nantes, EMN, IN2P3/CNRS, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, F-44307 Nantes cedex 3 (France)
High transverse momentum (p{sub T}) single nonphotonic electrons which have been measured in the RHIC experiments come dominantly from heavy meson decay. The ratio of their p{sub T} spectra in pp and AA collisions [R{sub AA}(p{sub T})] reveals the energy loss of heavy quarks in the environment created by AA collisions. Using a fixed coupling constant and the Debye mass (m{sub D}{approx_equal}gT) as the infrared regulator, perturbative QCD (pQCD) calculations are not able to reproduce the data, neither the energy loss nor the azimuthal (v{sub 2}) distribution. Employing a running coupling constant and replacing the Debye mass by a more realistic hard thermal loop (HTL) calculation, we find a substantial increase in the collisional energy loss, which brings the v{sub 2}(p{sub T}) distribution as well as R{sub AA}(p{sub T}) to values close to the experimental ones without excluding a contribution from radiative energy loss.
OSTI ID:
21192049
Journal Information:
Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 78; ISSN 0556-2813; ISSN PRVCAN
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English