In the realm of high-energy physics, researchers are continually probing the fundamental particles and forces that govern our universe. Among these scientists is Nihar Ranjan Saha, affiliated with the CMS experiment at CERN, who has been investigating the interactions and hadronization of charm quarks in heavy ion collisions.
Saha and his colleagues have presented new high-precision measurements from the CMS experiment, focusing on Pb-Pb collisions at an energy of 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair. The study centers around charm quarks, which are particularly sensitive probes of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), a state of matter thought to have existed just after the Big Bang. By studying charm quarks, scientists can gain insights into the formation, evolution, and properties of the QGP.
The researchers measured the elliptic (v2) and triangular (v3) flow of prompt Ds± mesons with high precision, extending the kinematic coverage of previous studies. Flow measurements in heavy ion collisions help scientists understand how particles interact and move collectively within the QGP. The team compared the flow of Ds± mesons to that of D0 mesons to investigate the impact of strange quark hadronization on charm quark collectivity. Hadronization is the process by which quarks and gluons combine to form composite particles called hadrons.
Furthermore, the researchers explored charm quark hadronization by measuring the nuclear modification factor (RAA) of Λc± baryons as a function of transverse momentum for different collision centralities. They also examined the Λc±/D0 yield ratio in proton-proton (pp), proton-lead (pPb), and Pb-Pb collisions. These measurements provide crucial constraints on charm quark energy loss and hadronization mechanisms, offering critical tests for theoretical models.
The findings were presented in the proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Hard and Electromagnetic Probes of High Energy Nuclear Collisions, providing valuable data for the scientific community. While the research is primarily fundamental in nature, understanding the behavior of charm quarks and the QGP can have broader implications for the energy sector. For instance, the insights gained from these studies could potentially inform the development of advanced energy technologies, such as those involving plasma physics and high-energy density matter.
In summary, Saha and his team have made significant strides in understanding charm quark interactions and hadronization in heavy ion collisions. Their high-precision measurements offer valuable insights into the dynamics of the QGP, advancing our knowledge of fundamental physics and potentially paving the way for innovative energy technologies.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.