1208.5070 (K. F. Read et al.)

Open Heavy Flavor Production at Forward Angles in PHENIX    [PDF]

K. F. Read, for the PHENIX Collaboration

Measurement of the nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm AA}$) for heavy-flavor production in heavy-ion collisions tests predictions for cold- and hot-nuclear-matter effects. Heavy-flavor production in \pp\ collisions tests pQCD calculations and serves as a reference for understanding heavy-flavor production in heavy-ion collisions. Using the PHENIX muon-arm spectrometers, the transverse momentum spectra of inclusive muon candidates are measured for \pp\ and $\cucu$ collisions at $\snn = 200$\,GeV. After subtracting backgrounds, we obtain the measured invariant yields of negative muons from the decay of heavy flavor mesons. For \pp\ collisions, we measure the charm-production cross section integrated over $\pt$ and in the rapidity range $1.4View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.5070