Speaker
Shuang Li
(Univ. Blaise Pascal Clermont-Fe. II (FR))
Description
The LHC heavy-ion physics program aims at investigating the properties
of strongly interacting matter at extreme conditions of temperature and
energy density, where the formation of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) is
expected.
In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, heavy quarks are regarded as
effective probes of the properties of the QGP as they are created on a
short time scale, with respect to that of the QGP, and
subsequently interact with it.
The nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$, defined as the ratio of
the yield measured in
Pb-Pb to that observed in pp collisions scaled with the number of binary
nucleon-nucleon collisions, is used to study the mechanisms of
heavy quark in-medium energy loss and hadronization.
In order to disantangle hot and cold nuclear matter effects, the nuclear
modification factor was measured in p-Pb collisions where the
formation of a large volume hot and dense medium is not expected.
Heavy-flavour production in p-Pb collisions has also its own interest
since it allows us to investigate initial state effects such as
modifications of the parton distribution functions in the nucleus, gluon
saturation and $k_{\rm T}$ broadening.
With ALICE, the detector designed and optimized for heavy-ion physics
at the LHC, open heavy flavours are measured at central rapidity
using using their hadronic and semi-electronic decays as
well as at forward and backward rapidity using their semi-muonic decays.
The latest results on the nuclear modification factor of charmed mesons and
electrons and muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions
at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV will be presented.
Comparisons with theoretical predictions will be discussed.
| On behalf of collaboration: | ALICE |
|---|
Primary author
Shuang Li
(Univ. Blaise Pascal Clermont-Fe. II (FR))
