The hadronization time of heavy quark in nuclear matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates the hadronization time of heavy quarks in nuclear matter using a coalescence model and lattice QCD data, revealing that hadronization occurs over a finite period rather than instantaneously.

Contribution

It introduces a model combining lattice QCD results and spatial diffusion to estimate heavy quark hadronization times, considering momentum correlations and meson radii.

Findings

Hadronization time is about 3 fm/c without momentum correlation.

With momentum correlation, hadronization time reduces to 0.6-1.2 fm/c for charm.

Hadronization is a gradual process, not instantaneous.

Abstract

We study the hadronization time of heavy quark in nuclear matter by using the coalescence model and the spatial diffusion constant of heavy quark from lattice Quantum Chromodynamic calculations, assuming that the main interaction of heavy quark at the critical temperature is hadronization. It is found that the hadronization time of heavy quark is about 3 fm/c for $2\pi T_c D_s=6$, if a heavy quark is combined with the nearest light antiquark in coordinate space without any correlation between momentum of heavy quark and that of light antiquark which form a heavy meson. However, the hadronization time reduces to 0.6-1.2 fm/c for charm and 0.4-0.9 fm/c for bottom, depending on heavy meson radius, in the presence of momentum correlation. Considering the interspace between quarks and antiquarks at the critical temperature, it seems that the hadronization of heavy quark does not happen instantaneously but gradually for a considerable time, if started from the thermal distribution of quarks and antiquarks.