Insight into Quark Gluon Plasma Dynamics from Elliptic Flow of Heavy-Flavour Muons at the Large Hadron Collider

Abstract

This study investigates the elliptic flow (v2v_2v2​) of heavy-flavour decay muons in Pb–Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as a probe into the properties and dynamics of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Heavy quarks (charm and bottom) are produced in the early stages of high-energy collisions and traverse the QGP, losing energy and participating in its collective motion. Measuring the anisotropic flow of heavy-flavour decay muons provides critical insights into the degree of thermalization and the transport properties of QGP. Data collected by the ALICE experiment at forward rapidity are analyzed to extract v2v_2v2​ using various methods. Results show a non-zero v2v_2v2​ for muons from heavy-flavour decays, suggesting strong interaction with the medium and supporting the collective behavior of the QGP.