Transverse dynamics of charmed hadrons in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions

Abstract

Transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ spectra and anisotropic flow distributions are studied for charmonia and charmed hadrons produced in Pb-Pb collisions and measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The investigations are performed within the framework of the Statistical Hadronization Model with the transverse dynamics evaluated using predictions from relativistic viscous hydrodynamics as implemented in the computer codes MUSIC and FluiduM. With this essentially parameter-free approach, mostly good agreement is obtained for $p_{\rm T}$ spectra in the range $p_{\rm T}$ $< 10$ GeV/c. The calculations suggest a hardening of the ${\rm J}/\psi$ $p_{\rm T}$ distribution for more central collisions while the data show the opposite trend. The observed wide distribution in $p_{\rm T}$ of anisotropic flow coefficients v$_2$ and v$_3$ for charmonia is also well reproduced, while their magnitude is generally somewhat over predicted. This finding may be connected to a difference in spatial distribution between light and charmed hadrons due to a different diffusion of light and heavy quarks in the hot fireball.