Energy Loss and Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au+Au Collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

The PHENIX collaboration Adare, A. ; Afanasiev, S. ; Aidala, C. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 98 (2007) 172301, 2007.
Inspire Record 731668 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.57287

The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has measured electrons from heavy flavor (charm and bottom) decays for 0.3 < p_T < 9 GeV/c at midrapidity (|y| < 0.35) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor R_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. A large azimuthal anisotropy, v_2, with respect to the reaction plane is observed for 0.5 < p_T < 5 GeV/c indicating non-zero heavy flavor elliptic flow. Both R_AA and v_2 show a p_T dependence different from those of neutral pions. A comparison to transport models which simultaneously describe R_AA(p_T) and v_2(p_T) suggests that the viscosity to entropy density ratio is close to the conjectured quantum lower bound, i.e., near a perfect fluid.

10 data tables

Invariant yield of electrons from heavy-flavor decays for 0-10% central collisions, versus PT.

Invariant yield of electrons from heavy-flavor decays for 10-20% central collisions, versus PT.

Invariant yield of electrons from heavy-flavor decays for 20-40% central collisions, versus PT.

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Centrality dependence of charm production from single electrons measurement in Au + Au collisions at s(NN)**(1/2) = 200-GeV.

The PHENIX collaboration Adler, S.S. ; Afanasiev, S. ; Aidala, C. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 94 (2005) 082301, 2005.
Inspire Record 660611 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.57254

The PHENIX experiment has measured mid-rapidity transverse momentum spectra (0.4 < p_T < 4.0 GeV/c) of single electrons as a function of centrality in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. Contributions to the raw spectra from photon conversions and Dalitz decays of light neutral mesons are measured by introducing a thin (1.7% X_0) converter into the PHENIX acceptance and are statistically removed. The subtracted ``non-photonic'' electron spectra are primarily due to the semi-leptonic decays of hadrons containing heavy quarks (charm and bottom). For all centralities, charm production is found to scale with the nuclear overlap function, T_AA. For minimum-bias collisions the charm cross section per binary collision is N_cc^bar/T_AA = 622 +/- 57 (stat.) +/- 160 (sys.) microbarns.

18 data tables

Value of the Alpha power as used in a fit of dN/dy versus Ncoll of the form A*Ncoll^Alpha, where N is the non photonic electron yield and Ncoll the number of p+p collisions This value only includes data from Au+Au collisions The value of Alpha = 1 is the expectation in the absence of medium effects.

Value of the Alpha power as used in a fit of dN/dy versus Ncoll, of the form A*Ncoll^Alpha, where N is the non photonic electron yield and Ncoll the number of p+p collisions This value is calculated including previous data of p+p collisions, measured by PHENIX, in addition of the Au+Au data The value of Alpha = 1 is the expectation in the absence of medium effects.

Spectrum in transverse momentum of electrons created in open heavy flavor decays, for minimum bias events.

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