Passage of heavy quarks through the fluctuating hot QCD medium

TL;DR

This study investigates how heavy quarks gain energy from field fluctuations in a hot QCD medium at finite chemical potential, using an effective kinetic theory approach with extended models for medium interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of heavy quark energy changes due to fluctuations at finite chemical potential using an extended effective fugacity model.

Findings

Heavy quarks gain energy from fluctuations in the medium.

Energy change depends on collision frequency and chemical potential.

Results are relevant for upcoming experiments at finite baryon density.

Abstract

The change in the energy of the moving heavy (charm and bottom) quarks due to field fluctuations present in the hot QCD medium has been studied. A finite quark chemical potential has been considered while modeling the hot QCD medium counting the fact that the upcoming experimental facilities such as Anti-proton and Ion Research (FAIR) and Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) are expected to operate at finite baryon density and moderate temperature. The effective kinetic theory approach has been adopted where the collisions have been incorporated using the well defined collisional kernel, known as Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK). To incorporate the non-ideal equations of state (EoSs) effects/ medium interaction effects, an extended effective fugacity model has been adopted. The momentum dependence of the energy change due to fluctuation for the charm and bottom quark has been investigated at different values of collision frequency and chemical potential. The results are exciting as the heavy quarks are found to gain energy due to fluctuations while moving through the produced medium at finite chemical potential and collision frequency.