Flow at the SPS and RHIC as a Quark-Gluon Plasma Signature

Journal Article · Mon May 21 04:00:00 EDT 2001 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.4783· OSTI ID:40205848

Teaney, D; Lauret, J; Shuryak, E V

Radial and elliptic flow in noncentral heavy-ion collisions can constrain the effective equation of state (EOS) of the excited nuclear matter. To this end, a model combining relativistic hydrodynamics and a hadronic transport code [Sorge, Phys.Rev.C 52, 3291 (1995)] is developed. For an EOS with a first-order phase transition, the model reproduces both the radial and elliptic flow data at the SPS. With the EOS fixed from SPS data, we quantify predictions at RHIC where the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) pressure is expected to drive additional radial and elliptic flows. Currently, the strong elliptic flow observed in the first RHIC measurements does not conclusively signal this nascent QGP pressure.

• Sponsoring Organization: (US)
• OSTI ID: 40205848
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 86; ISSN 0031-9007
• Publisher: The American Physical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
HYDRODYNAMICS
NUCLEAR MATTER
QUARK MATTER
TRANSPORT