Transverse momentum fluctuations and their correlation with elliptic flow in nuclear collisions

Abstract

In high-energy nuclear collisions, the spatial distribution of the initial energy density fluctuates between individual collision events. These fluctuations (and their gradients) drive the collective flow of the system, and thus leave a measurable imprint. The authors propose observables that quantify the relative fluctuations in the total transverse momentum at fixed multiplicity. The observables can be used to diagnose the quark gluon plasma in different regimes, for instance to gain insight into the entropy initially produced at a given system size, or to provide new constraints on the temperature dependence of energy loss.

Topics & Concepts