Energy Lossand Flow of Heavy Quarks in Au+Au Collisions at root-s=200GeV

Abstract

The PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has measured electrons with 0.3 < p{sub rmT} < 9 GeV/c at midrapidity (|y| < 0.35) from heavy flavor (charm and bottom) decays in Au+Au collisions at s{sub NN} = 200 GeV. The nuclear modification factor R{sub AA} relative to p+p collisions shows a strong suppression in central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks in the medium produced at RHIC energies. A large azimuthal anisotropy, v, with respect to the reaction plane is observed for 0.5 < p{sub rmT} < 5 GeV/c indicating non-zero heavy flavor elliptic flow. A simultaneous description of R{sub AA}(p{sub rmT}) and v(p{sub rmT}) constrains the existing models of heavy-quark rescattering in strongly interacting matter and provides information on the transport properties of the produced medium. In particular, a viscosity to entropy density ratio close to the conjectured quantum lower bound, i.e. near a perfect fluid, is suggested.