D(s) meson as a quantitative probe of diffusion and hadronization in nuclear collisions

Area of Science:

• * Nuclear Physics
• * Particle Physics

Background:

• * Ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions create a hot nuclear medium, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP).
• * D(s)-mesons, composed of charm (c) and strange (s) quarks (cs̄), offer unique insights into QGP properties due to their valence-quark content.
• * Understanding heavy-quark behavior in the QGP is crucial for characterizing this state of matter.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To quantitatively probe the properties of the hot nuclear medium using modifications of D(s)-meson spectra.
• * To investigate the interplay between strangeness enhancement and charm quark collective flow within the QGP.
• * To disentangle the transport properties of the QGP and hadronic phases through D-meson elliptic flow.

Main Methods:

• * Employing a consistent strong-coupling treatment that incorporates hydrodynamic bulk evolution.
• * Utilizing nonperturbative T-matrix interactions to model heavy-quark diffusion and hadronization within the QGP.
• * Introducing diffusion effects in the hadronic phase for a comprehensive analysis.

Main Results:

• * Prediction of a significant enhancement (∼1.5-1.8) in the D(s) nuclear modification factor at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider for transverse momenta around 2 GeV/c.
• * Attributing this enhancement to the strong coupling of heavy quarks to the QGP and their hadronization via coalescence with strange quarks.
• * Suggesting that differences in D-meson and D(s)-meson elliptic flow can distinguish between QGP and hadronic liquid transport properties.

Conclusions:

• * D(s)-meson spectra serve as a quantitative probe for the hot nuclear medium's properties.
• * The strong coupling and coalescence mechanism significantly influence D(s)-meson production in the QGP.
• * Analyzing D-meson elliptic flow provides a method to differentiate transport characteristics of the QGP and hadronic phases.