Date

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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Energy dependence of pion and kaon production in central Pb + Pb collisions.

The NA49 collaboration Afanasiev, S.V. ; Anticic, T. ; Barna, D. ; et al.
Phys.Rev.C 66 (2002) 054902, 2002.
Inspire Record 586383 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.31729

Measurements of charged pion and kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 AGeV are presented. These are compared with data at lower and higher energies as well as with results from p+p interactions. The mean pion multiplicity per wounded nucleon increases approximately linearly with s_NN^1/4 with a change of slope starting in the region 15-40 AGeV. The change from pion suppression with respect to p+p interactions, as observed at low collision energies, to pion enhancement at high energies occurs at about 40 AGeV. A non-monotonic energy dependence of the ratio of K^+ to pi^+ yields is observed, with a maximum close to 40 AGeV and an indication of a nearly constant value at higher energies.The measured dependences may be related to an increase of the entropy production and a decrease of the strangeness to entropy ratio in central Pb+Pb collisions in the low SPS energy range, which is consistent with the hypothesis that a transient state of deconfined matter is created above these energies. Other interpretations of the data are also discussed.

33 data tables

The centrality of the collisions expressed as a percentage of the inelastic cross section (7.15nb), and the mean numbers of wounded nuclei.

The inverse slope parameter of the fitted transverse mass spectra.

The rapidity density averaged over the rapidity interval -0.6 to 0.6.

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