Investigating charm-quark dynamics in the QGP via the charm-hadron elliptic flow in Pb–Pb collisions with ALICE

In these proceedings, the elliptic flow ($v_{2}$) measurement of prompt and non-prompt charm hadrons — originating respectively from the fragmentation of a charm quark and from the decay of hadrons with beauty-quark content — in Pb--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5.36~\mathrm{TeV}$, using the latest data collected during LHC Run 3 by the ALICE detector, is presented. The analysis is performed at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.8$), and hadronic decay channels are used to reconstruct the signal candidates. The $v_{2}$ coefficient is measured via the Scalar Product (SP) technique. The prompt $v_{2}$ in semicentral collisions is reported for the $\mathrm{D^{0}}$, $\mathrm{D^{+}}$, $\mathrm{D_{s}^{+}}$ mesons and, for the first time, for the $\Lambda_{\mathrm{c}}^{+}$ baryon. These results achieve unprecedented precision and low-$p_{\mathrm{T}}$ reach for the D mesons and highlight the first observation of the splitting of baryon and meson elliptic flow at intermediate $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ in the charm sector. The $v_{2}$ is also measured for prompt $\mathrm{D^{0}}$, $\mathrm{D^{+}}$, and $\mathrm{D_{s}^{+}}$ in peripheral collisions, offering new insights into the features of the fireball generated in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. Lower $v_{2}$ values are observed for non-prompt $\mathrm{D^{0}}$ and $\Lambda_{\mathrm{c}}^{+}$ hadrons in semicentral collisions, as expected from the larger beauty-quark mass.