Heavy flavor quarks are produced early in heavy ion collisions and will experience the full evolution of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Measurements at forward rapidity may be influenced as much, or more, by the cold nuclear matter effects as by the hot nuclear matter effects associated with a QGP. As the medium evolves, the initial spatial anisotropy of participants is converted to an azimuthal anisotropy in the momentum space of outgoing particles. Therefore, the momentum spectra modification and anisotropy parameters provide useful information about the heavy quark interaction with the bulk medium. Asymmetric heavy ion collisions, such as Cu+Au, provide a unique geometry with which to study the dynamics of the heavy quarks, relative to that in symmetric collisions. In particular, asymmetries in the yields between the Cu-going and Au-going directions may help unentangle the so-called cold nuclear matter effects from the hot nuclear matter effects indicative of a QGP. In addition, the parameters v2 and v3 in asymmetric collisions may be modified relative to the symmetric collisions due to the unique geometry provided in mid-central Cu+Au collisions. This dissertation presents the measurement of the yield and azimuthal anisotropy of single muons originating from heavy flavor decays in [square root of]SNN [center-of-mass energy per nucleon] = 200 GeV Cu+Au collisions.

We have studied the dependence of azimuthal anisotropy v2 for inclusive and identified charged hadrons in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions on collision energy, species, and centrality. The values of v2 as a function of transverse momentum pT and centrality in Au+Au collisions at √sNN=200 and 62.4 GeV are the same within uncertainties. However, in Cu+Cu collisions we observe a decrease in v2 values as the collision energy is reduced from 200 to 62.4 GeV. The decrease is larger in the more peripheral collisions. By examining both Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions we find that v2 depends both on eccentricity and the number of participants, Npart. We observe that v2 divided by eccentricity (?) monotonically increases with Npart and scales as N1/3part. Thus, the Cu+Cu data at 62.4 GeV falls below the other scaled v2 data. For identified hadrons, v2 divided by the number of constituent quarks nq is independent of hadron species as a function of transverse kinetic energy KET=mT–m between 0.1KEsubT/sub/nsubq/sub1 GeV. Combining all of the above scaling and normalizations, we observe a near-universal scaling, with the exception of the Cu+Cu data at 62.4 GeV, of vsub2/sub/(nsubq/sub∙????????Nsup1/3/supsubpart/sub) vs KEsubT/sub/n

This book attempts to cover the fascinating field of physics of relativistic heavy ions, mainly from the experimentalist's point of view. After the introductory chapter on quantum chromodynamics, basic properties of atomic nuclei, sources of relativistic nuclei, and typical detector set-ups are described in three subsequent chapters. Experimental facts on collisions of relativistic heavy ions are systematically presented in 15 consecutive chapters, starting from the simplest features like cross sections, multiplicities, and spectra of secondary particles and going to more involved characteristics like correlations, various relatively rare processes, and newly discovered features: collective flow, high pT suppression and jet quenching. Some entirely new topics are included, such as the difference between neutron and proton radii in nuclei, heavy hypernuclei, and electromagnetic effects on secondary particle spectra.Phenomenological approaches and related simple models are discussed in parallel with the presentation of experimental data. Near the end of the book, recent ideas about the new state of matter created in collisions of ultrarelativistic nuclei are discussed. In the final chapter, some predictions are given for nuclear collisions in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), now in construction at the site of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva. Finally, the appendix gives us basic notions of relativistic kinematics, and lists the main international conferences related to this field. A concise reference book on physics of relativistic heavy ions, it shows the present status of this field.

This book gives an introduction to main ideas used in the physics of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The links between basic theoretical concepts (discussed gradually from the elementary to more advanced level) and the results of experiments are outlined, so that experimentalists may learn more about the foundations of the models used by them to fit and interpret the data, while theoreticians may learn more about how different theoretical ideas are used in practical applications. The main task of the book is to collect the available information and establish a uniform picture of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The properties of hot and dense matter implied by this picture are discussed comprehensively. In particular, the issues concerning the formation of the quark-gluon plasma in present and future heavy-ion experiments are addressed.

The phase structure of particle physics shows up in matter at extremely high densities and/or temperatures as they were reached in the early universe, shortly after the big bang, or in heavy-ion collisions, as they are performed nowadays in laboratory experiments. In contrast to phase transitions of condensed matter physics, the underlying fundamental theories are better known than their macroscopic manifestations in phase transitions. These theories are quantum chromodynamics for the strong interaction part and the electroweak part of the Standard Model for the electroweak interaction. It is their non-Abelian gauge structure that makes it a big challenge to predict the type of phase conversion between phases of different symmetries and different particle contents. The book is about a variety of analytical and numerical tools that are needed to study the phase structure of particle physics. To these belong convergent and asymptotic expansions in strong and weak couplings, dimensional reduction, renormalization group studies, gap equations, Monte Carlo simulations with and without fermions, finite-size and finite-mass scaling analyses, and the approach of effective actions as supplement to first-principle calculations.

Papers of the June 1989 meeting in Beijing by the China Center of Advanced Science and Technology. This small book covers nucleus- nucleus collisions, states of the vacuum, and highly relativistic heavy ions in the experimental realm. Theoretical papers deal with quark-gluon plasma, and relativistic heavy ion collisions. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in high energy heavy-ion physics. It is relevant for students who will work on topics being explored at RHIC and the LHC. In the first part, the basic principles of these studies are covered including kinematics, cross sections (including the quark model and parton distribution functions), the geometry of nuclear collisions, thermodynamics, hydrodynamics and relevant aspects of lattice gauge theory at finite temperature. The second part covers some more specific probes of heavy-ion collisions at these energies: high mass thermal dileptons, quarkonium and hadronization. The second part also serves as extended examples of concepts learned in the previous part. Both parts contain examples in the text as well as exercises at the end of each chapter. - Designed for students and newcomers to the field- Focuses on hard probes and QCD- Covers all aspects of high energy heavy-ion physics- Includes worked example problems and exercises