Recent Heavy Flavor Results Utilizing the FVTX in PHENIX at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper reports on recent heavy flavor measurements at RHIC using the FVTX detector, providing insights into charm and bottom quark production, charmonia yields, and medium effects in various collision systems.

Contribution

It introduces new measurements of heavy flavor and charmonia production at RHIC with improved vertex detection, offering novel insights into quarkonia behavior and B-meson production in different collision environments.

Findings

B-meson decay fraction in J/ψ matches higher energy collider results.

B-meson yield remains unmodified in Cu+Au collisions.

J/ψ suppression observed in heavy ion collisions.

Abstract

Heavy flavor and quarkona production are important hard probes to test the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and measure the properties of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) created in high energy heavy ion collisions. The new PHENIX mid- and forward-rapidity silicon vertex detectors provide precise Distance of Closest Approach (DCA) determination, allowing charm and bottom yields identification, and improve di-muon mass resolution for charmonia studies. The relative $\psi(2S)$ over $J/\psi$(1S) yields measured in $p$+$p$, $p$+Al and $p$+Au data at $\sqrt{s}=$200 GeV help us to understand final state effects on the charmonia production. Direct access to B-meson production has been enabled via measurements of non-prompt $J/\psi \to \mu^{+} + \mu^{-}$ in $p$+$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 510$ GeV and Cu+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV. The fraction of B-meson decays in J/$\psi$ yields in the $p$+$p$ measurement agrees with higher energy results from Tevatron and LHC. This fraction is enhanced in Cu+Au collisions suggesting the B-meson yield is not modified by the medium whereas J/$\psi$ is strongly suppressed.