Open heavy flavor in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV within a transport model

TL;DR

This paper models the evolution of open heavy flavor in Pb+Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV using an updated transport model, successfully describing experimental data and predicting heavy flavor observables at the LHC.

Contribution

An enhanced transport model including all parton interactions and phenomenological adjustments to describe heavy flavor dynamics in heavy-ion collisions.

Findings

Model reproduces elliptic flow v_2 and R_AA at RHIC.

Provides predictions for heavy flavor observables at LHC.

Employs NLO initial distributions matching proton-proton data.

Abstract

The space-time evolution of open heavy flavor is studied in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV using the partonic transport model Boltzmann Approach to MultiParton Scatterings (BAMPS). An updated version of BAMPS is presented which allows interactions among all partons: gluons, light quarks, and heavy quarks. Heavy quarks, in particular, interact with the rest of the medium via binary scatterings with a running coupling and a Debye screening which is matched by comparing to hard thermal loop calculations. The lack of radiative processes in the heavy flavor sector is accounted for by scaling the binary cross section with a phenomenological factor K=3.5, which describes well the elliptic flow v_2 and nuclear modification factor R_AA at RHIC. Within this framework we calculate in a comprehensive study the v_2 and R_AA of all interesting open heavy flavor particles at the LHC: electrons, muons, D mesons, and non-prompt J/psi from B mesons. We compare to experimental data, where it is already available, or make predictions. To do this accurately next-to-leading order initial heavy quark distributions are employed which agree well with proton-proton data of heavy flavor at sqrt(s)=7 TeV.