Elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV

Abstract

The elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.7) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The particle azimuthal distribution with respect to the reaction plane can be parametrized with a Fourier expansion, where the second coefficient (v (2)) represents the elliptic flow. The v (2) coefficient of inclusive electrons is measured in three centrality classes (0-10\%, 10-20\% and 20-40\%) with the event plane and the scalar product methods in the transverse momentum (p (T)) intervals 0.5-13 GeV/c and 0.5-8 GeV/c, respectively. After subtracting the background, mainly from photon conversions and Dalitz decays of neutral mesons, a positive v (2) of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays is observed in all centrality classes, with a maximum significance of 5.9 sigma in the interval 2 < p (T) < 2.5 GeV/c in semi-central collisions (20-40\%). The value of v (2) decreases towards more central collisions at low and intermediate p (T) (0.5 < p (T) < 3 GeV/c). The v (2) of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity is found to be similar to the one of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4). The results are described within uncertainties by model calculations including substantial elastic interactions of heavy quarks with an expanding strongly-interacting medium.