Three-Particle Azimuthal Correlations

TL;DR

This paper discusses three-particle azimuthal correlations in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC to distinguish between different physical mechanisms causing broadened away-side structures, with implications for understanding quark-gluon plasma properties.

Contribution

It introduces three-particle correlation analysis as a method to differentiate between various proposed mechanisms for azimuthal correlation structures in heavy-ion collisions.

Findings

Three-particle correlations can discriminate between conical flow and other mechanisms.

Associated particle pT dependence helps identify conical flow.

Analysis methods applicable to RHIC and future LHC experiments.

Abstract

Two-particle azimuthal correlations in central Au+Au collisional at RHIC have revealed a broadened away-side structure, with respect to perpherial Au+Au, pp, and d+Au. This could be explained by different physics mechanisms such as: large angle gluon radiation, deflected jets, Cerenkov gluon radiation, and conical flow generated by hydrodynamic shock-waves. We can discriminate the scenarios with conical emission, Cerenkov radiation and conical flow, from the other mechanisms though three-particle correlations. In addition, the associated particle pT dependence can be used to distinguish conical flow from simple Cerenkov gluon radiation. We will discuss three-particle correlation analyses that have been performed at RHIC and what can be done at the LHC.