Abstract
We propose a redefinition of the principal component analysis (PCA) of anisotropic flow that makes it more directly connected to fluctuations of the initial geometry of the system. Then, using state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulations, we make an explicit connection between flow fluctuations and a cumulant expansion of the initial transverse geometry. In particular, we show that the second principal component of elliptic flow is generated by higher-order cumulants, and therefore probes smaller length scales of the initial state. With this information, it will be possible to put new constraints on properties of the early-time dynamics of a heavy-ion collision, including small-scale structure, as well as properties of the quark-gluon plasma.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 121982 |
Journal | Nuclear Physics A |
Volume | 1005 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- anisotropic flow
- collective dynamics
- heavy-ion collisions
- principal component analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics