Analysis of Emission Shapes

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to analyze emission source shapes using Cartesian harmonic expansion of correlation functions, relating these to source coefficients via integral transforms, demonstrated with NA49 and PHENIX data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to extract emission source shapes from correlation data using Cartesian harmonic expansion and integral transforms.

Findings

Successfully applied to NA49 and PHENIX data

Demonstrates the feasibility of shape analysis via harmonic expansion

Provides a framework for interpreting correlation functions in terms of source geometry

Abstract

Shapes of relative emission sources can be accessed by expanding shapes of correlations at low relative velocities in pair center of mass in Cartesian harmonics. Coefficients of expansion for correlations are related to the respective coefficients of expansion for the sources through one dimensional integral transforms involving properties of pair relative wavefunctions. The methodology is illustrated with analyses of NA49 and PHENIX correlation data.