arXiv · nucl-th/0606061
Measuring Shear Viscosity Using Transverse Momentum Correlations in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions
Abstract
Elliptic flow measurements at RHIC suggest that quark gluon plasma flows with very little viscosity compared to weak coupling expectations, challenging theorists to explain why this fluid is so nearly ``perfect''. It is therefore vital to find quantitative experimental information on the viscosity of the plasma. We propose that measurements of transverse momentum fluctuations can be used to determine the shear viscosity. We use current data to estimate the viscosity-to-entropy ratio in the range from 0.08 to 0.3, and discuss how future measurements can reduce this uncertainty.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Sean Gavin, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz. 2006-06-30. Measuring Shear Viscosity Using Transverse Momentum Correlations in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.97.162302
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.