Previous experimental results based on data (15 million events) collected by the STAR detector at RHIC suggest event-by-event charge separation fluctuations perpendicular to the event plane in non-central heavy-ion collisions. Here we present the correlator previously used split into its two component parts to reveal correlations parallel and perpendicular to the event plane. The results are from a high statistics 200 GeV Au+Au collisions data set (57 million events) collected by the STAR experiment. We explicitly count units of charge separation from which we find clear evidence for more charge separation fluctuations perpendicular than parallel to the event plane. We also employ a modified correlator to study the possible P-even background in same and opposite charge correlations, and find that the P-even background may largely be explained by momentum conservation and collective motion.
(Color online) $\Delta RMS^{\Delta Q}/\langle RMS^{\Delta Q}\rangle$ versus centrality for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 200 GeV. Not corrected for event plane resolution. Errors are statistical only.
(Color online) $\langle sin(\phi_{\alpha} − \Psi_{1})\rangle$ for positive and negative charges versus centrality for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 200 GeV. Shaded area represents the systematic uncertainty for both charge types obtained by comparing correlations from positive and negative pseudorapidity.
(Color online) Three-point correlator, Eq. 1, measured with $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ harmonic event planes versus centrality for Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 200 GeV. Shown with crosses are our previous results from the 2004 RHIC run (Y4) [9, 10]. The Y4 run used a second harmonic event plane. Y4 and Y7 $\Psi_{2}$ results are consistent within statistical errors. Shaded areas for the $2^{nd}$ harmonic points represent the systematic uncertainty of the event plane determination. Systematic uncertainties for the $1^{st}$ harmonic points are negligible compared to the statistical ones shown.