arXiv subjects

Fernando G. Gardim

Publications and source records attributed to Fernando G. Gardim.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

The mean transverse momentum of ultracentral heavy-ion collisions: A new probe of hydrodynamics

We predict that the mean transverse momentum of charged hadrons $\langle p_t\rangle$ rises as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity in ultracentral nucleus-nucleus collisions. We explain that this phenomenon has a simple physical origin and represents an unambiguous prediction of the hydrodynamic framework of heavy-ion collisions. We argue that the relative increase of $\langle p_t \rangle$ is proportional to the speed of sound squared $c_s^2$ of the quark-gluon plasma. Based on the value of $c_s^2$ from lattice QCD, we expect $\langle p_t\rangle$ to increase by approximately $18$ MeV between 1\% and 0.001\% centrality in Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV.

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arXiv2020

Effects of initial state fluctuations on the mean transverse momentum

We show that in ideal hydrodynamic simulations of heavy-ion collisions, initial state fluctuations result in an increase of the mean transverse momentum of outgoing hadrons, $\langle p_t\rangle$. Specifically, $\langle p_t\rangle$ is larger by a few percent if realistic fluctuations are implemented than with smooth initial conditions, the multiplicity and impact parameter being kept fixed. We show that result can be traced back to the fact that for a given total entropy, the initial energy contained in the fluid is larger if the density profile is bumpy. We discuss the implication of these results for the extraction of the equation of state of QCD from experimental data.

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arXiv2020

$p_T$-dependent multiplicity fluctuations from PCA and initial conditions

We present a Principal Component Analysis for a hydrodynamic simulation and compare with CMS experimental data. While the results are reasonable for anisotropic flow, for multiplicity fluctuations they are qualitatively different. We argue that this is due to too large transverse momentum ($p_T$) fluctuations and $N-p_T$ covariance in the simulation than seen experimentally. In turn this is related to too large initial size fluctuations.

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arXiv2019

$p_T$-Dependent Particle Number Fluctuations From Principal Component Analyses in Hydrodynamic Simulations of Heavy-Ion Collisions

We carry out a principal component analysis of fluctuations in a hydrodynamic simulation of heavy-ion collisions, and compare with experimental data from the CMS collaboration. The leading and subleading principal components of elliptic and triangular flow reproduce the trends seen in data. By contrast, the principal components of multiplicity fluctuations show an interesting difference in their $p_T$ dependence for simulations compared to experimental data. Specifically, the leading component increases with $p_T$ in hydrodynamics, while it is constant in experiment. In order to understand how the leading and subleading modes arise, we construct a toy model where the principal components have a simple analytic form. We show how the PCA components depend on fluctuations of the average transverse momentum and of the total multiplicity, as well as correlations between the two, and we verify that hydrodynamic simulations agree with the predictions of the toy model. The difference in the momentum trend is likely due to the fact that hydrodynamic models typically have transverse momentum fluctuations that are larger than seen experimentally.

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arXiv2018

Probing the transverse size of initial inhomogeneities with flow observables

Disentangling the effect of initial conditions and medium properties is an open question in the field of relativistic heavy ion collisions. We argue that, while one can study the impact of initial inhomogeneities by varying their size, it is important to maintain the global properties fixed. We present a method to do this. We show that many observables are insensitive to the the hot spot sizes, including integrated vn, scaled distributions of vn, symmetric cumulants, eventplane correlations, and differential vn(pT ). We find however that the factorization breaking ratio rn and sub-leading component in a Principal Component Analysis are more sensitive to the initial granularity and can be used to probe short-scale features of the initial density.

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arXiv2017

Study of the sensitivity of observables to hot spot size in heavy ion collisions

An open question in the field of heavy-ion collisions is to what extent the size of initial inhomogeneities in the system affects measured observables. Here we present a method to smooth out these inhomogeneities with minimal effect on global properties, in order to quantify the effect of short-range features of the initial state. We show a comparison of hydrodynamic predictions with original and smoothened initial conditions for four models of initial conditions and various observables. Integrated observables (integrated $v_n$, scaled $v_n$ distributions, normalized symmetric cumulants, event-plane correlations) as well as most differential observables ($v_n(p_T)$) show little dependence on the inhomogeneity sizes, and instead are sensitive only to the largest-scale geometric structure. However other differential observables such as the flow factorization ratio and sub-leading principal components are more sensitive to the granularity and could be a good tool to probe the short-scale dynamics of the initial stages of a heavy-ion collision, which are not currently well understood.

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arXiv2017

Hydrodynamic approach to the centrality dependence of di-hadron correlations

Measurements of di-hadron azimuthal correlations at different centralities for Au+Au collisions at 200 AGeV were reported by the PHENIX Collaboration. The data were presented for different ranges of transverse momentum. In particular, it was observed that the away-side correlation evolves from double- to a single-peak structure when the centrality decreases. In this work, we show that these features naturally appear as due to an interplay between the centrality-dependent smooth background elliptic flow and the one produced by event-by-event fluctuating peripheral tubes. To compare with the PHENIX data, we also carry out numerical simulations by using a hydrodynamical code NeXSPheRIO, and calculate the correlations by both cumulant and the ZYAM method employed by PHENIX Collaboration. It is shown that our results are in reasonable agreement with the data. A brief discussion on the physical content of the present model and its difference from other viewpoint is also presented.

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arXiv2017

Mixed Harmonic Correlations: Hydrodynamics Predictions at RHIC using Experimental Analysis Techniques

Correlations of different azimuthal flow harmonics $v_n$ and symmetry planes $Ψ_n$ can add constraints to theoretical models, and probe aspects of the system that are independent of the traditional single-harmonic measurements. Using NeXSPheRIO, a hydrodynamical model which has accurately reproduced a large set of single-harmonic correlations at RHIC, we make predictions of these new observables for 200 A GeV Au+Au Collisions, providing an important baseline for comparison to correlations of flow harmonics, which contain non-trivial information about the initial state. We also point out how to properly compare theoretical calculations to measurements using wide centrality bins and non-trivial event weighting.

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arXiv2016

Hydrodynamic Predictions for Mixed Harmonic Correlations in 200 GeV Au+Au Collisions

Recent measurements at the LHC involve the correlation of different azimuthal flow harmonics $v_n$. These new observables add constraints to theoretical models and probe aspects of the system that are independent of the traditional single-harmonic measurements such as 2- and multi-particle cumulants $v_n\{m\}$. Many of these new observables have not yet been measured at RHIC, leaving an opportunity to make predictions as a test of models across energies. We make predictions using NeXSPheRIO, a hydrodynamical model which has accurately reproduced a large set of single-harmonic correlations in a large range of transverse momenta and centralities at RHIC. Our predictions thus provide an important baseline for comparison to correlations of flow harmonics, which contain non-trivial information about the initial state as well as QGP transport properties. We also point out significant biases that can appear when using wide centrality bins and non-trivial event weighting, necessitating care in performing experimental analyses and in comparing theoretical calculations to these measurements.

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arXiv2016

Linear and cubic response to the initial eccentricity in heavy-ion collisions

We study the relation between elliptic flow, $v_2$ and the initial eccentricity, $\varepsilon_2$, in heavy-ion collisions, using hydrodynamic simulations. Significant deviations from linear eccentricity scaling are seen in more peripheral collisions. We identify the mechanism responsible for these deviations as a cubic response, which we argue is a generic property of the hydrodynamic response to the initial density profile. The cubic response increases elliptic flow fluctuations, thereby improving agreement of initial condition models with experimental data.

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arXiv2014

Viscous Effects on the Mapping of the Initial to Final State in Heavy Ion Collisions

We investigate the correlation between various aspects of the initial geometry of heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider energies and the final anisotropic flow, using v-USPhydro, a 2+1 event-by-event viscous relativistic hydrodynamical model. We test the extent of which shear and bulk viscosity affect the prediction of the final flow harmonics, $v_n$, from the initial eccentricities, $\varepsilon_n$. We investigate in detail the flow harmonics $v_1$ through $v_5$ where we find that $v_1$, $v_4$, and $v_5$ are dependent on more complicated aspects of the initial geometry that are especially important for the description of peripheral collisions, including a non-linear dependence on eccentricities as well as a dependence on shorter-scale features of the initial density. Furthermore, we compare our results to previous results from NeXSPheRIO, a 3+1 relativistic ideal hydrodynamical model that has a non-zero initial flow contribution, and find that the combined contribution from 3+1 dynamics and non-zero, fluctuating initial flow decreases the predictive ability of the initial eccentricities, in particular for very peripheral collisions, but also disproportionately in central collisions.

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arXiv2013

Breaking of factorization of two-particle correlations in hydrodynamics

The system formed in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions behaves as a nearly-perfect fluid. This collective behavior is probed experimentally by two-particle azimuthal correlations, which are typically averaged over the properties of one particle in each pair. In this Letter, we argue that much additional information is contained in the detailed structure of the correlation. In particular, the correlation matrix exhibits an approximate factorization in transverse momentum, which is taken as a strong evidence for the hydrodynamic picture, while deviations from the factorized form are taken as a signal of intrinsic, "nonflow" correlations. We show that hydrodynamics in fact predicts factorization breaking as a natural consequence of initial state fluctuations and averaging over events. We derive the general inequality relations that hold if flow dominates, and which are saturated if the matrix factorizes. For transverse momenta up to 5 GeV, these inequalities are satisfied in data, but not saturated. We find at least as large factorization breaking in event-by-event ideal hydrodynamic calculations as in data, and argue that this phenomenon opens a new window on the study of initial fluctuations.

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arXiv2013

Anisotropic flow in event-by-event ideal hydrodynamic simulations of sqrt(s_{NN})=200 GeV Au+Au collisions

We calculate flow observables with the NeXSPheRIO ideal hydrodynamic model and make the first comparison to the complete set of mid-rapidity flow measurements made by the PHENIX collaboration in top energy Au+Au collisions. A simultaneous calculation of v_2, v_3, v_4, and the first event-by-event calculation of quadrangular flow defined with respect to the v_2 event plane (v_4{Psi_2}) gives good agreement with measured values, including the dependence on both transverse momentum and centrality. This provides confirmation that the collision system is indeed well described as a quark-gluon plasma with an extremely small viscosity, and that correlations are dominantly generated from collective effects. In addition we present a prediction for v_5.

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arXiv2012

Hydro overview

We review recent progress in applying relativistic hydrodynamics to the modeling of heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC, with emphasis on anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations.

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arXiv2012

Characterizing the hydrodynamic response to the initial conditions

In hydrodynamics, the momentum distribution of particles at the end of the evolution is completely determined by initial conditions. We study quantitatively to what extent anisotropic flow is determined by predictors such as the initial eccentricity in a set of realistic simulations, and we also show the importance of nonlinear terms in order to correctly predict the quadrangular flow. This knowledge will be important for making a more direct link between experimental observables and hydrodynamic initial conditions, the latter being poorly constrained at present.

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arXiv2012

Mapping the hydrodynamic response to the initial geometry in heavy-ion collisions

We investigate how the initial geometry of a heavy-ion collision is transformed into final flow observables by solving event-by-event ideal hydrodynamics with realistic fluctuating initial conditions. We study quantitatively to what extent anisotropic flow (v_n) is determined by the initial eccentricity epsilon_n for a set of realistic simulations, and we discuss which definition of epsilon_n gives the best estimator of v_n. We find that the common practice of using an r^2 weight in the definition of varepsilon_n in general results in a poorer predictor of v_n than when using r^n weight, for n > 2. We similarly study the importance of additional properties of the initial state. For example, we show that in order to correctly predict v_4 and v_5 for non-central collisions, one must take into account nonlinear terms proportional to (epsilon_2)^2 and (epsilon_2)*(epsilon_3), respectively. We find that it makes no difference whether one calculates the eccentricities over a range of rapidity, or in a single slice at z=0, nor is it important whether one uses an energy or entropy density weight. This knowledge will be important for making a more direct link between experimental observables and hydrodynamic initial conditions, the latter being poorly constrained at present.

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arXiv2011

Fluctuating Initial Conditions and Anisotropic Flows

In this work we study the connection between anisotropic flows and lumpy initial conditions for Au+Au collisions at 200GeV. We present comparisons between anisotropic flow coefficients and eccentricities up to sixth order, and between initial condition reference angles and azimuthal particle distribution angles. We also present a toy model to justify the lack of connection between flow coefficients and eccentricities for individual events.

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arXiv2011

Directed flow at mid-rapidity in event-by-event hydrodynamics

Fluctuations in the initial geometry of a nucleus-nucleus collision have been recently shown to result in a new type of directed flow (v_1) that, unlike the usual directed flow, is also present at midrapidity. We compute this new v_1 versus transverse momentum and centrality for Au-Au collisions at RHIC using the hydrodynamic code NeXSPheRIO. We find that the event plane of v_1 is correlated with the angle of the initial dipole of the distribution, as predicted, though with a large dispersion. It is uncorrelated with the reaction plane. Our results are in excellent agreement with results inferred from STAR correlation data.

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