{
  "id": "nucl-th/0412015",
  "version": "v3",
  "published": "2004-12-03T19:53:30.000Z",
  "updated": "2005-03-10T20:37:36.000Z",
  "title": "Thermalization of Heavy Quarks in the Quark-Gluon Plasma",
  "authors": [
    "H. van Hees",
    "R. Rapp"
  ],
  "comment": "14 pages, 5 figures, v2: Added references, v2: Added further references, some typos corrected",
  "journal": "Phys.Rev.C71:034907,2005",
  "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevC.71.034907",
  "categories": [
    "nucl-th",
    "hep-ph",
    "nucl-ex"
  ],
  "abstract": "Charm- and bottom-quark rescattering in a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) is investigated with the objective of assessing the approach towards thermalization. Employing a Fokker-Planck equation to approximate the collision integral of the Boltzmann equation we augment earlier studies based on perturbative parton cross sections by introducing resonant heavy-light quark interactions. The latter are motivated by recent QCD lattice calculations which indicate the presence of \"hadronic\" states in the QGP. We model these states by colorless (pseudo-) scalar and (axial-) vector D- and B-mesons within a heavy-quark effective theory framework. We find that the presence of these states at moderate QGP temperatures substantially accelerates the kinetic equilibration of c-quarks as compared to using perturbative interactions. We also comment on consequences for $D$-meson observables in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v3",
      "updated": "2005-03-10T20:37:36.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "24.85.+p",
      "25.75.Nq",
      "12.38.Mh"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "quark-gluon plasma",
      "heavy quarks",
      "thermalization",
      "moderate qgp temperatures substantially accelerates",
      "introducing resonant heavy-light quark interactions"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "APS",
      "journal": "Phys. Rev. C"
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 14,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 666160
    }
  }
}