Thursday, April 10, 2025

4:00pm-5:00pm

Probing the Microscopic Structure of QCD Systems with Heavy Quarks in Heavy-Ion Collisions and Electron Scattering

Abstract: Our visible universe is dominated by baryonic matter, which interacts via the strong force described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). However, understanding how complex QCD systems such as quark-gluon plasma (QGP), atomic nuclei, and neutron stars emerge from the fundamental constituents, quarks and gluons, remains a mystery. Heavy quarks serve as powerful probes for unraveling the microscopic structure of these systems. In relativistic heavy-ion collisions, such as those at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, heavy-quark dynamics, including diffusion, hadronization, and energy loss, offer valuable insights into the QGP. In electron scattering experiments, for example, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facilities at Jefferson Laboratory, heavy quarks reveal gluon dynamics inside nucleons and nuclei. This presentation will explore key experimental techniques, including detector instrumentation, data analysis methods, and Monte Carlo simulations, with applications of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence. I will present recent heavy-flavor physics measurements from CMS at the Large Hadron Collider and PHENIX at RHIC, as well as prospects for heavy-flavor studies with the sPHENIX experiment. In addition, I will discuss the hadronic and medium-energy nuclear physics potential of the Heavy Photon Search experiment in Hall B at Jefferson Laboratory. Finally, I will highlight future opportunities enabled by cutting-edge technologies, including the development of forward electromagnetic calorimeters (EMCAL) and fast ML-trigger for heavy-flavor and exotic hadron physics at the future Electron-Ion Collider.