A benchmark of initial state models for heavy-ion collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}=$ 27 and 62 GeV

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that simplified, non-dynamical initial state models can effectively be used in fluid dynamic simulations of heavy-ion collisions at RHIC Beam Energy Scan energies, matching experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces and tests simpler initial state models based on Monte Carlo Glauber and T$_{ m R}$ENTo approaches for low-energy heavy-ion collisions, showing their viability.

Findings

Both initial states reproduce key experimental observables.

Simpler models perform comparably to complex ones at these energies.

Surprising similarity to high-energy models in results.

Abstract

Description of relativistic heavy-ion collisions at the energies of RHIC Beam Energy Scan program with fluid dynamic approach poses several challenges, one of which being a complex geometry and a longer duration of the pre-hydrodynamic stage. Therefore, existing fluid dynamic models for heavy-ion collisions at the RHIC Beam Energy Scan energies rely on rather complex initial states, such as UrQMD cascade or multi-fluid dynamics. In this study, we show that functionally simpler, non-dynamical initial states can be employed for the fluid dynamical simulations of Au-Au collisions at $\mbox{$\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$}=27$ and 62.4~GeV. We adapt the initial states based on Monte Carlo Glauber model (GLISSANDO 2) and $\sqrt{T_A T_B}$ ansatz based on reduced thickness (T$_{\rm R}$ENTo $p=0$), extended into the longitudinal direction and finite baryon density. We find that both initial states, when coupled to a 3D event-by-event viscous fluid dynamic + cascade model, result in an overall fair reproduction of basic experimental data: pseudorapidity distributions, transverse momentum spectra and elliptic flow, at both collision energies. This is a rather surprising, given that the $\sqrt{T_A T_B}$ ansatz is functionally similar to the EKRT and IP-Glasma models, which are successful at much larger energies and rely on a partonic picture of the initial state.