Triangular flow in hydrodynamics and transport theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates triangular flow (v_3) in heavy-ion collisions using hydrodynamics and transport theory, showing its significance in explaining observed azimuthal correlations and its sensitivity to initial conditions and viscosity.

Contribution

It provides quantitative predictions for v_3 at RHIC and LHC, demonstrating its role in understanding ridge structures and initial geometry fluctuations.

Findings

v_3 correlates with initial geometry fluctuations

Quantitative agreement with STAR data on v_3 centrality dependence

Triangular flow is a sensitive probe of viscosity and initial conditions

Abstract

In ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, the Fourier decomposition of the relative azimuthal angle, \Delta \phi, distribution of particle pairs yields a large cos(3\Delta \phi) component, extending out to large rapidity separations \Delta \eta >1. This component captures a significant portion of the ridge and shoulder structures in the \Delta \phi distribution, which have been observed after contributions from elliptic flow are subtracted. An average finite triangularity due to event-by-event fluctuations in the initial matter distribution, followed by collective flow, naturally produces a cos(3\Delta \phi) correlation. Using ideal and viscous hydrodynamics, and transport theory, we study the physics of triangular (v_3) flow in comparison to elliptic (v_2), quadrangular (v_4) and pentagonal (v_5) flow. We make quantitative predictions for v_3 at RHIC and LHC as a function of centrality and transverse momentum. Our results for the centrality dependence of v_3 show a quantitative agreement with data extracted from previous correlation measurements by the STAR collaboration. This study supports previous results on the importance of triangular flow in the understanding of ridge and shoulder structures. Triangular flow is found to be a sensitive probe of initial geometry fluctuations and viscosity.