/ nucl-ex CERN-PH-EP-2015-173

Elliptic flow of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV

Pages: 25

Abstract: The elliptic flow, $v_{2}$, of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity ($2.5 < y < 4$) is measured in Pb--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The scalar product, two- and four-particle $Q$ cumulants and Lee-Yang zeros methods are used. The dependence of the $v_2$ of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays on the collision centrality, in the range 0--40%, and on transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, is studied in the interval $3 < p_{\rm T} < 10$ GeV/$c$. A positive $v_2$ is observed with the scalar product and two-particle $Q$ cumulants in semi-central collisions (10--20% and 20--40% centrality classes) for the $p_{\rm T}$ interval from 3 to about 5 GeV/$c$. The $v_2$ magnitude tends to decrease towards more central collisions and with increasing $p_{\rm T}$. It becomes compatible with zero in the interval $6 < p_{\rm T} < 10 {\rm GeV/}c$. The results are compared to models describing the interaction of heavy quarks and open heavy-flavour hadrons with the high-density medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. The model calculations describe the measured $v_2$ within uncertainties.

Note: 25 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 20, submitted to PLB, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/1737

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