  The B_C meson is the bound state of b-cbar whose recent detection is the
first step toward completion of the spectroscopy of heavy quark mesonic states.
The b-c states have properties that conveniently fill the gap between the J/Psi
and Upsilon states. Thus it is probable that at RHIC the B_c mesons will serve
as a probe of deconfined matter. We find that significant differences arise for
B_c formation in deconfined and confined matter. Our initial calculations
suggest that: (a) The rates of normal hadronic production mechanisms at RHIC
energies are not sufficient to produce a detectable number of B_c mesons, (b)
If a region of deconfined quarks and gluons is formed, the production (and
survival) rate can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude, and (c) The
observation of B_c mesons at RHIC would signal a source of deconfined charmed
quarks, and the rate of B_c production will be a measure of the initial density
and temperature of that source.
