Heavy Quark Dynamics in the QGP

Abstract

We assess transport properties of heavy quarks in the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) that show a strong non-perturbative behavior. A T-matrix approach based on a potential taken from lattice QCD hints at the presence of heavy-quark (HQ) resonant scattering with an increasing strength as the temperature, \(T\), reaches the critical temperature, \(T_c \simeq 170 \; \MeV\) for deconfinement from above. The implementation of HQ resonance scattering along with a hadronization via quark coalescence under the conditions of the plasma created in heavy-ion collisions has been shown to correctly describe both the nuclear modification factor, \(R_{AA}\), and the elliptic flow, \(v_2\), of single electrons at RHIC and have correctly predicted the \(R_{AA}\) of D mesons at LHC energy.