HEAVY-FLAVOR MESON PRODUCTION AT RHIC

Collisions of heavy atomic nuclei at very high beam energies allow to create and study hot QCD matter under laboratory-controlled conditions. Measurements at the SPS and RHIC facilities have yielded compelling evidence for the formation of this novel state of matter, the so-called Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). Due to their large mass, heavy quarks (charm and bottom) are believed to be predominantly produced in the initial state of the collision so that they probe the entire lifetime of the QGP. Thus, the investigation of heavy-flavor meson production in nucleus-nucleus collisions provides profound insight into the QGP properties. In this paper we review recent results from the RHIC facility on heavy-flavor meson production and their interaction with the QCD matter on the partonic level.