Study of triangular flow $v_3$ in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions with a multiphase transport model

TL;DR

This study investigates the triangular flow $v_3$ in heavy-ion collisions using a multiphase transport model, revealing its weak centrality dependence and similarities to elliptic flow $v_2$ after accounting for initial geometry effects.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the behavior of triangular flow $v_3$ and its relation to initial geometry anisotropy in heavy-ion collisions using the AMPT model.

Findings

$v_3$ shows little centrality dependence unlike $v_2$.

$v_3/_3$ increases with transverse particle density.

$v_3$'s $p_T$ dependence is similar to that of $v_2$.

Abstract

We studied the relation between the initial geometry anisotropy and the anisotropic flow in a multiphase transport model (AMPT) for both Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. It is found that unlike the elliptic flow $v_2$, little centrality dependence of the triangular flow $v_3$ is observed. After removing the initial geometry effect, $v_3/\epsilon_3$ increases with the transverse particle density, which is similar to $v_2/\epsilon_2$. The transverse momentum ($p_T$) dependence of $v_3$ from identified particles is qualitatively similar to the $p_T$ dependence of $v_2$.