Heavy Flavor and Quarkonia Results from the PHENIX Experiment

Abstract

The PHENIX experiment at RHIC has a unique large rapidity coverage ($1.2 < |y| < 2.2$) for heavy flavor studies in heavy-ion collisions. This kinematic region has a smaller particle density and may undergo different nuclear effects before and after the hard process when compared to mid-rapidity production. The latest PHENIX runs contain a large data set which allows, for the first time, the study of heavy flavor and $J/\psi$ flow at the large rapidity region in Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=$200 GeV. This measurement has the potential to reveal a medium evolution distinct from that known at mid-rapidity.