Predictions of elliptic flow and nuclear modification factor from 200 GeV U + U collisions at RHIC

TL;DR

This paper predicts elliptic flow and nuclear modification factors in uranium-uranium collisions at 200 GeV, highlighting how nuclear deformation influences collision dynamics and resulting observables.

Contribution

It introduces predictions for $v_2$ and $R_{AA}$ in U + U collisions, emphasizing the impact of nuclear deformation and collision geometry on these observables.

Findings

$v_2^{RP}$ similar to Au + Au collisions

$v_2^{PP}$ increases by 30-60% in central U + U collisions

$R_{AA}$ suppression reaches 0.1, twice that of Au + Au collisions

Abstract

Predictions of elliptic flow ($v_2$) and nuclear modification factor ($R_{AA}$) are provided as a function of centrality in U + U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV. Since the $^{238}$U nucleus is naturally deformed, one could adjust the properties of the fireball, density and duration of the hot and dense system, for example, in high energy nuclear collisions by carefully selecting the colliding geometry. Within our Monte Carlo Glauber based approach, the $v_2$ with respect to the reaction plane $v_2^{RP}$ in U + U collisions is consistent with that in Au + Au collisions, while the $v_2$ with respect to the participant plane $v_2^{PP}$ increases $\sim$30-60% at top 10% centrality which is attributed to the larger participant eccentricity at most central U + U collisions. The suppression of $R_{AA}$ increases and reaches $\sim$0.1 at most central U + U collisions that is by a factor of 2 more suppression compared to the central Au + Au collisions due to large size and deformation of Uranium nucleus.