Correlations among elliptic flow parameter, impact parameter, and multiplicity

Abstract

The elliptic flow parameter, v2, in the Fourier expansion of the event-by-event charged-particle multiplicity azimuthal distribution in the momentum space is studied by taking into account the multiplicity fluctuations. The correlations among measurable variables of v2, charged multiplicity, and impact parameter are investigated using a multiple phase transport model with string melting. It turned out that the charged multiplicity and impact parameter are negatively correlated. This correlation results in the peak structure in v2 as a function of the participant nucleon number (charged multiplicity, impact parameter) measured in RHIC experiments. It is suggested that v2 calculated in the event-wise average is about 20% larger than in the particle-wise average, so event-wise average should be used in the theoretical calculations. © 2010 SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.