Nuclear Modification Factor for Production of Open Heavy Flavor at Forward Rapidity in Cu+Cu Collisions

Author

Archil GarishviliFollow

Date of Award

12-2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Physics

Major Professor

Kenneth F. Read

Committee Members

Soren P. Sorensen, Yuri Efremenko

Abstract

The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory with its muon spectrometer has the ability to detect muons over the range of pseudorapidity 1.1 < |eta| < 2.25. Single muon production is an important tool for studying heavy flavor production via semi-leptonic decays of open heavy flavor mesons. Because of their large mass, heavy quarks are produced in earlier stages of heavy ion collisions. Therefore, heavy flavor production can serve as an important probe of the Quark Gluon Plasma, a novel state of matter predicted to be created at RHIC. The measurement of the nuclear modification factor of open heavy flavor at forward rapidity in Cu+Cu collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV is presented. Measurements of heavy flavor production in p+p collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV will be also presented.

Recommended Citation

Garishvili, Archil, "Nuclear Modification Factor for Production of Open Heavy Flavor at Forward Rapidity in Cu+Cu Collisions. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2011.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1112