Speaker
Mrs
Olga Rusnakova
(CTU Prague)
Description
The properties of the strongly interacting Quark-Gluon Plasma, created in high energy heavy-ion collisions, can be studied using heavy quarks, such as charm and bottom. Heavy quarks may interact with the medium differently than light quarks. For example, energy losses of the heavy quarks through gluon radiation are expected to be smaller due to the dead cone effect. Therefore, measurements of heavy quarks can improve our understanding of how partons interact with the medium and the QGP properties. Hot and cold nuclear matter effects, which affect the heavy quark production in heavy ion collisions, could be quantified with the nuclear modification factor, $R_{AA}$, and azimuthal anisotropy parameter, $v_2$. Results from p+p collisions can serve as a baseline for $R_{AA}$ as well as to test of the validity of perturbative QCD. At RHIC, heavy quarks could be studied by measuring non-photonic electrons (NPE) which are produced from semi-leptonic heavy flavor D and B meson decays.
In this talk, we will present the measurement of NPE production in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV in a wide transverse momentum range (0.4< $p_{T}$ < 12 GeV/c). We will discuss the energy dependence of $v_2$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ =39, 62.4 and 200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV and in U+U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=193$ GeV will also be presented and compared with different model predictions.
additional information
for the STAR Collaboration
Primary author
Mrs
Olga Rusnakova
(CTU Prague)
