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Exploring non-equilibrium quark-gluon plasma effects on charm transport coefficients

In this article we investigate how the drag coefficient $A$ and $\hat{q}$, the transverse momentum transfer by unit length, of charm quarks are modified if the QGP is not in complete thermal equilibrium using the dynamical quasi-particle model (DQPM) which reproduces both, the equation-of-state of the QGP and the spatial diffusion coefficient of heavy quarks as predicted by lattice QCD calculations. We study three cases: a) the QGP has an anisotropic momentum distribution of the partons which leads to an anisotropic pressure b) the QGP partons have higher or lower kinetic energies as compared to the thermal expectation value, and c) the QGP partons have larger or smaller pole masses of their spectral function as compared to the pole mass from the DQPM at the QGP temperature. In the last two cases we adjust the number density of partons to obtain the same energy density as in an equilibrated QGP. In the first scenario we find that if the transverse pressure exceeds the longitudinal one for small heavy quark momenta $A$ becomes larger and $\hat{q}$ smaller as compared to an isotropic pressure. For heavy quarks with large momentum both, $A$ and $\hat{q}$ , approach unity. If the partons have less kinetic energy or a smaller pole mass as compared to a system in equilibrium charm quarks lose more energy. In the former case $\hat{q}$ decreases whereas in the latter case it increases for charm quark with a low or intermediate transverse momentum. Thus each non-equilibrium scenario affects $A$ and $\hat{q}$ of charm quarks in a different way. The modifications in our scenarios are of the order 20-50\% at temperatures relevant for heavy ion reactions. These modifications have to be considered if one wants to determine these coefficients by comparing heavy ion data with theoretical predictions from viscous hydrodynamics or Langevin equations.