Characterizing radial flow fluctuations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at top RHIC and LHC energies

Abstract

We present a systematic investigation of the transverse-momentum differential radial flow fluctuations observable $v_0(p_T)$ in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at top RHIC ($\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}{\,=\,}200$ GeV) and LHC ($\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}{\,=\,}2.76$ and 5.02 TeV) energies. Using a multistage hydrodynamic model, we assess the sensitivity of $v_0(p_T)$ to a wide range of physical effects, including bulk and shear viscosities, off-equilibrium corrections at particlization, the presence of a hadronic afterburner, and the nucleon size in the initial conditions. By employing complementary rescaling strategies, we demonstrate how different physical effects leave distinct imprints on the shape of $v_0(p_T)$. A combined double-rescaling of $v_0(p_T)/v_0$ versus $p_T/\langle p_T \rangle$ reveals a universality across a wide range of energies and model assumptions in the low-$p_T$ regime, a robust signature of collective behavior. This allows us to disentangle the universal dynamics of the bulk medium from model-specific features that emerge at higher $p_T$. Our results establish $v_0(p_T)$ as a powerful and complementary observable for constraining QGP transport properties and initial-state granularity, offering a unique probe of the created QCD medium.