OPEN CHARM PRODUCTION IN HADRONIC AND HEAVY-ION COLLISIONS AT RHIC AND LHC ENERGIES TO $O(\alpha_s^3)$

Abstract

We present results on rapidity and transverse momentum distributions of inclusive charm quark production in hadronic and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies, including the next-to-leading order, $O(\alpha_s^3)$, radiative corrections and the nuclear shadowing effect. We determine the hadronic and the {\it effective} (in-medium) K-factor for the differential and total inclusive charm cross sections. We show that these K-factors have strong $p_T$ dependence. We discuss how measurements of charm production at RHIC and LHC can provide valuable information about the gluon density in a nucleus.