Impact of momentum-space anisotropy on heavy quark dynamics in a QGP medium

TL;DR

This paper studies how momentum space anisotropy and Chromo-Weibel instability in a quark-gluon plasma affect heavy quark transport properties, with implications for experimental observables in heavy ion collisions.

Contribution

It introduces a kinetic theory framework incorporating anisotropy and instability effects to analyze heavy quark drag and diffusion in QGP.

Findings

Chromo-Weibel instability significantly alters heavy quark transport coefficients.

Temperature and momentum dependence of drag and diffusion are affected by anisotropy.

Results suggest potential impact on heavy meson suppression and flow measurements.

Abstract

Momentum space anisotropy present in the quark and gluon distribution functions in relativistic heavy ion collisions induces Chromo-Weibel instability in the hot QCD medium created therein. The impact of the Chromo-Weibel instability on the dynamics of a heavy-quark (HQ) traversing in the QGP medium is investigated within the framework of kinetic theory by studying the momentum and temperature behavior of HQ drag and diffusion coefficients. The physics of anisotropy is captured in an effective Vlasov term in the transport equation. The effects of the instability are handled by making a relation with the phenomenologically known jet quenching parameter in RHIC and LHC. Interestingly, the presence of instability significantly affect the temperature and momentum dependences of the HQ drag and diffusion coefficients. These results may have appreciable impact on the experimental observables such as, the nuclear suppression factor, $R_{AA}(p_T)$, and the elliptic flow, $v_2(p_T)$, of heavy mesons in heavy ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies which is a matter of future investigation.