Study of heavy-flavour production and jets in heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

In this project, we propose the study of the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) using observables such as open and hidden heavy-flavour particles. The formation of the QGP is expected at extremely high temperatures and/or high densities that can be reached in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions as provided by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (Organisation Europeenne pour la Recherches Nucleaires). ALICE - A Large Ion Collider Experiment - is a dedicated detector from LHC to study heavy-ion collisions and the properties of the QGP. Using ALICE data, we propose to study the following observables: heavy-flavour particles, and jets. Open heavy-flavour and jets are hard probes created before the formation of the QGP and they can bring information about the interactions inside the formed medium. Also, their production can be used as a test to perturbative Quantum ChromoDynamics (pQCD). Hidden heavy-flavour (quarkonium states) can be used to study the QGP and also their production itself, since it is still not fully understood. Additionally, jets in both hadronic and heavy-ion collisions and its correlation with heavy-flavour particles is also a key probe to study the QGP properties. The LHC Run 3 establishes a new era for the ALICE experiment, when higher luminosity capabilities will allow a much more precise investigation of the QGP through hard probes as heavy quarks and jets. In summary, we propose to study the QGP tomography with hard probes.