Pedro Ladron de Guevara

arXiv2021

Extraction of the specific shear viscosity of quark-gluon plasma from two-particle transverse momentum correlations

The specific shear viscosity, $η/s$, of the quark-gluon plasma formed in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC is estimated based on the progressive longitudinal broadening of transverse momentum two-particle correlators, $G_2$, reported as a function of collision centrality by the STAR and ALICE experiments. Estimates are computed as a function of collision centrality using the Gavin ansatz which relates the $G_2$ longitudinal broadening to the specific shear viscosity. Freeze out times required for the use of the ansatz are computed using a linear fit of freeze out times reported as a function of the cubic root of the charged particle pseudorapidity density $({\rm d}N_{\rm ch}/{\rm d}η)^{1/3}$. Estimates of $η/s$ based on ALICE data exhibit little to no dependence on collision centrality at LHC energy, while estimates obtained from STAR data hint that $η/s$ might be a function of collision centrality at top RHIC energy.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Effect of centrality bin width corrections on two-particle number and transverse momentum differential correlation functions

Two-particle number and transverse momentum differential correlation functions are powerful tools for unveiling the detailed dynamics and particle production mechanisms involved in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Measurements of transverse momentum correlators $P_2$ and $G_2$, in particular, provide added information not readily accessible with better known number correlation functions $R_2$. However, it is found that the $R_2$ and $G_2$ correlators are somewhat sensitive to the details of the experimental procedure used to measure them. They exhibit, in particular, a dependence on the collision centrality bin width, which may have a rather detrimental impact on their physical interpretation. A technique to correct these correlators for collision centrality bin-width averaging is presented. The technique is based on the hypothesis that the shape of single- and pair- probability densities vary slower with collision centrality than the corresponding integrated yields. The technique is tested with Pb-Pb simulations based on the HIJING and ultrarelativistic quantum molecular dynamics models and shown to enable a precision better than 1% for particles in the kinematic range $0.2 \leq p_{\rm T} \leq 2.0$ GeV/$c$.

physics.data-an↗