The directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV relative to the collision symmetry plane defined by the spectator nucleons. A negative slope of the rapidity-odd directed flow component with approximately 3 times smaller magnitude than found at the highest RHIC energy is observed. This suggests a smaller longitudinal tilt of the initial system and disfavors the strong fireball rotation predicted for the LHC energies. The rapidity-even directed flow component is measured for the first time with spectators and found to be independent of pseudorapidity with a sign change at transverse momenta p(T) between 1.2 and 1.7 GeV/c. Combined with the observation of a vanishing rapidity-even p(T) shift along the spectator deflection this is strong evidence for dipole-like initial density fluctuations in the overlap zone of the nuclei. Similar trends in the rapidity-even directed flow and the estimate from two-particle correlations at midrapidity, which is larger by about a factor of 40, indicate a weak correlation between fluctuating participant and spectator symmetry planes. These observations open new possibilities for investigation of the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions with spectator nucleons.

Directed Flow of Charged Particles at Midrapidity Relative to the Spectator Plane in Pb-Pb Collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

LEA, RAMONA;RUI, RINALDO;
2013-01-01

Abstract

The directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV relative to the collision symmetry plane defined by the spectator nucleons. A negative slope of the rapidity-odd directed flow component with approximately 3 times smaller magnitude than found at the highest RHIC energy is observed. This suggests a smaller longitudinal tilt of the initial system and disfavors the strong fireball rotation predicted for the LHC energies. The rapidity-even directed flow component is measured for the first time with spectators and found to be independent of pseudorapidity with a sign change at transverse momenta p(T) between 1.2 and 1.7 GeV/c. Combined with the observation of a vanishing rapidity-even p(T) shift along the spectator deflection this is strong evidence for dipole-like initial density fluctuations in the overlap zone of the nuclei. Similar trends in the rapidity-even directed flow and the estimate from two-particle correlations at midrapidity, which is larger by about a factor of 40, indicate a weak correlation between fluctuating participant and spectator symmetry planes. These observations open new possibilities for investigation of the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions with spectator nucleons.
2013
Esperti anonimi
Inglese
ELETTRONICO
111
232302-1
232302-11
11
HEAVY-ION COLLISIONS; QUARK-GLUON PLASMA; ELLIPTIC FLOW; COLLECTIVE FLOW; LHC
http://journals.aps.org/prl/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.232302
989
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
262
B., Abelev; J., Adam; D., Adamová; A., Adare; M., Aggarwal; G., Aglieri Rinella; M., Agnello; A., Agocs; A., Agostinelli; Z., Ahammed; N., Ahmad; A., ...espandi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11379/537558
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