Data from the Large Hadron Collider on elliptic flow correlations at low and high $p_T$ from Pb+Pb collisions at $sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$~TeV are analyzed and interpreted in the framework of the HYDJET++ model. This model allows us to describe simultaneously the region of both low and high transverse momenta and, therefore, to reproduce the experimentally observed nontrivial centrality dependence of elliptic flow correlations. The origin of the correlations between low and high-$p_T$ flow components in peripheral lead-lead collisions is traced to correlations of particles in jets.
We explore the influence of a temperature-dependent shear viscosity over entropy density ratio $eta/s$ on the azimuthal anisotropies v_2 and v_4 of hadrons at various rapidities. We find that in Au+Au collisions at full RHIC energy, $sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV, the flow anisotropies are dominated by hadronic viscosity at all rapidities, whereas in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC energy, $sqrt{s_{NN}}=2760$ GeV, the flow coefficients are affected by the viscosity both in the plasma and hadronic phases at midrapidity, but the further away from midrapidity, the more dominant the hadronic viscosity is. We find that the centrality and rapidity dependence of the elliptic and quadrangular flows can help to distinguish different parametrizations of $(eta/s)(T)$. We also find that at midrapidity the flow harmonics are almost independent of the decoupling criterion, but show some sensitivity to the criterion at back- and forward rapidities.
In heavy ion collisions, elliptic flow $v_2$ and radial flow, characterized by event-wise average transverse momentum $[p_{mathrm{T}}]$, are related to the shape and size of the overlap region, which are sensitive to the shape of colliding atomic nuclei. The Pearson correlation coefficient between $v_2$ and $[p_{mathrm{T}}]$, $rho_2$, was found to be particularly sensitive to the quadrupole deformation parameter $beta$ that is traditionally measured in low energy experiments. Built on earlier insight that the prolate deformation $beta>0$ reduces the $rho_2$ in ultra-central collisions (UCC), we show that the prolate deformation $beta<0$ enhances the value of $rho_2$. As $beta>0$ and $beta<0$ are the two extremes of triaxiality, the strength and sign of $v_2^2-[p_{mathrm{T}}]$ correlation can be used to provide valuable information on the triaxiality of the nucleus. Our study provide further arguments for using the hydrodynamic flow as a precision tool to directly image the deformation of the atomic nuclei at extremely short time scale ($<10^{-24}$s).
We investigate the influence of a temperature-dependent shear viscosity over entropy density ratio eta/s on the transverse momentum spectra and elliptic flow of hadrons in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We find that the elliptic flow in sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC is dominated by the viscosity in the hadronic phase and in the phase transition region, but largely insensitive to the viscosity of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). At the highest LHC energy, the elliptic flow becomes sensitive to the QGP viscosity and insensitive to the hadronic viscosity.
The beam energy dependence of the elliptic flow,$v_2$, is studied in mid-central Au+Au collisions in the energy range of $3leq sqrt{s_{NN}} leq 30$ GeV within the microscopic transport model JAM. The results of three different modes of JAM are compared; cascade-,hadronic mean field-, and a new mode with modified equations of state, with a first order phase transition (1.O.P.T.) and with a crossover transition. The standard hadronic mean field suppresses $v_2$, while the inclusion of the effects of a 1.O.P.T. (and also of a crossover transition) does enhance $v_2$ at $sqrt{s_{NN}}<30$ GeV. The enhancement or suppression of the scaled energy flow, dubbed elliptic flowis understood as being due to out of plane- flow, i.e. $v_2<0$, dubbed out of plane - squeeze-out, which occurs predominantly in the early, compression stage. Subsequently, the in-plane flow dominates, in the expansion stage, $v_2 > 0$. The directed flow, dubbed bounce- off, is an independent measure of the pressure, which quickly builds up the transverse momentum transfer in the reaction plane. When the spectator matter leaves the participant fireball region, where the highest compression occurs, a hard expansion leads to larger $v_2$. A combined analysis of the three transverse flow coefficients, radial $v_0$-, directed $v_1$- and elliptic $v_2$- flow, in the beam energy range of $3leqsqrt{s_{NN}}leq10$ GeV, distinguishes the different compression and expansion scenarios: a characteristic dependence on the early stage equation of state is observed. The enhancement of both the elliptic and the transverse radial flow and the simultaneous collapse of the directed flow of nucleons offers a clear signature if 1.O.P.T. is realized at the highest baryon densities created in high energy heavy-ion collisions.
We predict the elliptic flow parameter v_2 in U+U collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV and in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV using a hybrid model in which the evolution of the quark gluon plasma is described by ideal hydrodynamics with a state-of-the-art lattice QCD equation of state, and the subsequent hadronic stage by a hadron cascade model.