Open Charm Production in $p + p$ and Pb + Pb collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

TL;DR

This paper investigates the production of open charm mesons in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at the LHC, emphasizing the effects of strong color fields, shadowing, and quenching, and compares model predictions with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive model incorporating strong color fields, shadowing, and quenching effects to describe open charm production at LHC energies, providing new insights and predictions.

Findings

Nuclear effects significantly influence charm meson production.

Model predictions align with recent experimental suppression data.

Predictions for beauty meson production are provided.

Abstract

Effects of strong longitudinal colour electric fields (SCF), shadowing, and quenching on the open prompt charm mesons (D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$, D${_s}{^+}$) production in central Pb + Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV are investigated within the framework of the {\small HIJING/B\=B v2.0} model. We compute the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm PbPb}^{\rm D}$, and show that the above nuclear effects constitute important dynamical mechanisms in the description of experimental data. The strength of colour fields (as characterized by the string tension $\kappa$), partonic energy loss and jet quenching process lead to a suppression factor consistent with recent published data. Predictions for future beauty mesons measurements have been included. Ratios of strange to non-strange prompt charm mesons in central Pb + Pb and minimum bias (MB) $ p + p$ collisions at 2.76 TeV are also discussed. Minimum bias $p + p$ collisions which constitute theoretical baseline in our calculations are studied at the centre of mass energies $\sqrt{s}$ = 2.76 TeV and 7 TeV.