Heavy flavour measurements with the ALICE experiment at the LHC

Abstract

Heavy quarks (charm and beauty) are produced early in the nucleus-nucleus collisions, and heavy flavor survives throughout the later stages. Measurements of heavy-flavor quarks thus provide us with means to understand the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma, a hot and dense state of matter created in heavy-ion collisions. Production of heavy-flavor in small collision systems, on the other hand, can be used to test Quantum-chromodynamics models. After a successful completion of the Run-I data taking period, the increased luminosity from the LHC and an upgraded ALICE detector system in the Run-II data taking period allows for an unprecedented precision in the study of heavy quarks. In this article we give an overview of selected recent results on heavy-flavor measurements with ALICE experiment at the LHC.

Comments: Submitted to the MDPI Universe special issue: The Zimányi School and Analytic Hydrodynamics in High Energy Physics. Proceedings of the 18th Zimanyi School Winter Workshop of Heavy Ion Physics