Speaker
Description
The hadronisation of charm quarks within the strangeness-rich environment of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) offers a unique laboratory for studying non-perturbative QCD dynamics. We present new measurements from the CMS experiment utilising the high-statistics lead-lead (PbPb) collision datasets from Run 2 and Run 3. This work features a high-precision measurement of the elliptic ($v_2$) and triangular ($v_3$) flow of prompt $D_{s}^{\pm}$ mesons, which provides a unique handle on charm quark dynamics, as it is directly sensitive to the interplay between charm quarks and the strange-enhanced QGP environment. Concurrently, we present the first-ever measurement of the elliptic flow ($v_2$) of the prompt $\Lambda_{c}^{\pm}$ baryon, providing a definitive test of charm quark thermalisation and the degree to which it participates in the medium's anisotropic expansion. By comparing the flow of $D_{s}^{\pm}$ and $\Lambda_{c}^{\pm}$ to non-strange $D^{0}$ mesons, we can disentangle the effects of quark mass, strangeness content, and baryon-versus-meson formation on charm quark thermalisation and hadronisation. These flow measurements are contextualized by recent results for the $\Lambda_{c}^{\pm}$ nuclear modification factor ($R_{AA}$) and the $\Lambda_{c}^{\pm}/D^{0}$ yield ratio, which provide crucial information on charm quark energy loss and hadronization mechanisms. Collectively, these results serve as a crucial benchmark for theoretical models, offering unprecedented insight into the fundamental mechanisms of heavy quark interactions and hadronisation in the QGP.
