Heavy-flavor transport

TL;DR

This paper reviews how heavy-flavor particles are used to study the Quark-Gluon Plasma in high-energy nuclear collisions, focusing on transport calculations, theoretical models, and effects in small systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of heavy-flavor transport models, comparing theoretical approaches and discussing potential medium effects in small collision systems.

Findings

Transport coefficients vary across models.

Heavy-flavor observables are sensitive to medium properties.

Possible hot-medium effects in small systems are discussed.

Abstract

The formation of a hot deconfined medium (Quark-Gluon Plasma) in high-energy nuclear collisions affects heavy-flavor observables. In the low/moderate-pT range transport calculations allow one to simulate the propagation of heavy quarks in the plasma and to evaluate the effect of the medium on the final hadronic spectra: results obtained with transport coefficients arising from different theoretical approaches can be compared to experimental data. Finally, a discussion of possible effects on heavy-flavor observables due to the possible formation of a hot-medium in small systems (like in p-A collisions) is presented.