Effect of initial states on heavy meson azimuthal correlations

Abstract

We investigate azimuthal correlations of prompt (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) hadrons in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN = 5.5 TeV using the PYTHIA8 + Angantyr model. By employing modern nuclear parton distribution functions, we explore how initial-state effects influence the correlation structure across different transverse momentum (pT[jls-end-space/]) ranges. Our finding suggests that nuclear PDFs significantly modify correlation distribution, especially at low pT[jls-end-space/], where gluon splitting and multi-parton interactions become prominent. These findings provide a crucial baseline for disentangling medium-induced effects from initial-state dynamics in heavy-flavour production in heavy-ion collisions. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.