Elliptic Flow in Central Collisions of Deformed Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper investigates how nuclear shape deformation influences elliptic flow in central relativistic collisions, revealing significant fluctuations and dependencies on oblateness in high-multiplicity events using a simplified Glauber model.

Contribution

It introduces a simple optical Glauber model to study geometrical effects of nuclear deformation on elliptic flow in central collisions.

Findings

Large centrality and eccentricity fluctuations at small impact parameters.

Significant elliptic flow dependence on oblateness in high-multiplicity oblate nucleus collisions.

Predicted observable effects in Au and Cu collision experiments.

Abstract

Non-trivial geometrical effects in relativistic central collisions of deformed nuclei are studied using a simple version of optical Glauber model. For very small impact parameters large centrality and eccentricity fluctuations are observed. In very high multiplicity collisions of oblate nuclei (e.g. Au and Cu) significant fraction of events with elliptic flow strength v_2 dependent on oblateness beta_2 is predicted.