We present the first measurement of the two-particle transverse momentum differential correlation function, $P_2\equiv\langle \Delta p_{\rm T} \Delta p_{\rm T} \rangle /\langle p_{\rm T} \rangle^2$, in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} =$ 2.76 TeV. Results for $P_2$ are reported as a function of relative pseudorapidity ($\Delta \eta$) and azimuthal angle ($\Delta \varphi$) between two particles for different collision centralities. The $\Delta \phi$ dependence is found to be largely independent of $\Delta \eta$ for $|\Delta \eta| \geq$ 0.9. In 5% most central Pb-Pb collisions, the two-particle transverse momentum correlation function exhibits a clear double-hump structure around $\Delta \varphi = \pi$ (i.e., on the away side), which is not observed in number correlations in the same centrality range, and thus provides an indication of the dominance of triangular flow in this collision centrality. Fourier decompositions of $P_2$, studied as a function of collision centrality, show that correlations at $|\Delta \eta| \geq$ 0.9 can be well reproduced by a flow ansatz based on the notion that measured momentum correlations are strictly determined by the collective motion of the system.
We report the first results of elliptic ($v_2$), triangular ($v_3$) and quadrangular flow ($v_4$) of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are performed in the central pseudorapidity region $|\eta|<0.8$ and for the transverse momentum range $0.2<p_{\rm T}<5$ GeV/$c$. The anisotropic flow is measured using two-particle correlations with a pseudorapidity gap greater than one unit and with the multi-particle cumulant method. Compared to results from Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV, the anisotropic flow coefficients $v_{2}$, $v_{3}$ and $v_{4}$ are found to increase by ($3.0\pm0.6$)%, ($4.3\pm1.4$)% and ($10.2\pm3.8$)%, respectively, in the centrality range 0-50%. This increase can be attributed mostly to an increase of the average transverse momentum between the two energies. The measurements are found to be compatible with hydrodynamic model calculations. This comparison provides a unique opportunity to test the validity of the hydrodynamic picture and the power to further discriminate between various possibilities for the temperature dependence of shear viscosity to entropy density ratio of the produced matter in heavy-ion collisions at the highest energies.
We report a precise measurement of the J/$\psi$ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The J/$\psi$ mesons are reconstructed at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.9$) in the dielectron decay channel and at forward rapidity ($2.5<y<4.0$) in the dimuon channel, both down to zero transverse momentum. At forward rapidity, the elliptic flow $v_2$ of the J/$\psi$ is studied as a function of transverse momentum and centrality. A positive $v_2$ is observed in the transverse momentum range $2 < p_{\rm T} < 8$ GeV/$c$ in the three centrality classes studied and confirms with higher statistics our earlier results at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV in semi-central collisions. At mid-rapidity, the J/$\psi$ $v_2$ is investigated as a function of transverse momentum in semi-central collisions and found to be in agreement with the measurements at forward rapidity. These results are compared to transport model calculations. The comparison supports the idea that at low $p_{\rm T}$ the elliptic flow of the J/$\psi$ originates from the thermalization of charm quarks in the deconfined medium, but suggests that additional mechanisms might be missing in the models.
We report systematic measurements of bulk properties of the system created in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).The transverse momentum spectra of $\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$ and $p(\bar{p})$ are studied at mid-rapidity ($|y| < 0.1$) for nine centrality intervals. The centrality, transverse momentum ($p_T$),and pseudorapidity ($\eta$) dependence of inclusive charged particle elliptic flow ($v_2$), and rapidity-odd charged particles directed flow ($v_{1}$) results near mid-rapidity are also presented. These measurements are compared with the published results from Au+Au collisions at other energies, and from Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. The results at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 14.5 GeV show similar behavior as established at other energies and fit well in the energy dependence trend. These results are important as the 14.5 GeV energy fills the gap in $\mu_B$, which is of the order of 100 MeV,between $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ =11.5 and 19.6 GeV. Comparisons of the data with UrQMD and AMPT models show poor agreement in general.
The inclusive J/$\psi$ elliptic ($v_2$) and triangular ($v_3$) flow coefficients measured at forward rapidity (2.5 $<y<$ 4) and the $v_2$ measured at midrapidity ($|y|<$ 0.9) in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported. The entire Pb-Pb data sample collected during Run 2 is employed, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 750 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ at forward rapidity and 93 $\mu$b$^{-1}$ at midrapidity. The results are obtained using the scalar product method and are reported as a function of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and collision centrality. At midrapidity, the J/$\psi$ $v_2$ is in agreement with the forward rapidity measurement. The centrality averaged results indicate a positive J/$\psi$ $v_3$ with a significance of more than 5$\sigma$ at forward rapidity in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $2<p_{\rm T}<5$ GeV/$c$. The forward rapidity $v_2$, $v_3$, and $v_3$/$v_2$ results at low and intermediate $p_{\rm T}$ ($p_{\rm T} \lesssim 8$ GeV/$c$) exhibit a mass hierarchy when compared to pions and D mesons, while converging into a species-independent curve at higher $p_{\rm T}$. At low and intermediate $p_{\rm T}$, the results could be interpreted in terms of a later thermalization of charm quarks compared to light quarks, while at high $p_{\rm T}$, path-length dependent effects seem to dominate. The J/$\psi$ $v_2$ measurements are further compared to a microscopic transport model calculation. Using a simplified extension of the quark scaling approach involving both light and charm quark flow components, it is shown that the D-meson $v_{\rm n}$ measurements can be described based on those for charged pions and J/$\psi$ flow.
The azimuthal anisotropy coefficient $v_2$ of prompt D$^0$, D$^+$, D$^{*+}$ and D$_s^+$ mesons was measured in mid-central (30-50% centrality class) Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 5.02$ TeV, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays at mid-rapidity, $|y|<0.8$, in the transverse momentum interval $1<p_{\rm T}<24$ GeV/$c$. The measured D-meson $v_2$ has similar values as that of charged pions. The D$_s^+$ $v_2$, measured for the first time, is found to be compatible with that of non-strange D mesons. The measurements are compared with theoretical calculations of charm-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium and have the potential to constrain medium parameters.
Measurements of the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the collision plane defined by the spectator neutrons $v_2${$\Psi_{\rm SP}$} in collisions of Pb ions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$=2.76 TeV and Xe ions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$=5.44 TeV are reported. The results are presented for charged particles produced at midrapidity as a function of centrality and transverse momentum. The ratio between $v_2${$\Psi_{\rm SP}$} and the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the participant plane $v_2$4, estimated using four-particle correlations, deviates by up to 20% from unity depending on centrality. This observation differs strongly from the magnitude of the corresponding eccentricity ratios predicted by the TRENTo and the elliptic power models of initial state fluctuations that are tuned to describe the participant plane anisotropies. The differences can be interpreted as a decorrelation of the neutron spectator plane and the reaction plane because of fragmentation of the remnants from the colliding nuclei, which points to an incompleteness of current models of initial state fluctuations. A significant transverse momentum dependence of the ratio $v_2${$\Psi_{\rm SP}$}/$v_2${4} is observed in all but the most central collisions, which may help to understand whether momentum anisotropies at low and intermediate transverse momentum have a common origin in initial state fluctuations. The ratios of $v_2${$\Psi_{\rm SP}$} and $v_2${4} to the corresponding initial state eccentricities for Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb collisions at similar initial entropy density show a difference of $(7.0 \pm 0.9)$% with an additional variation of +1.8% when including RHIC data in the TRENTo parameter extraction. These observations provide new experimental constraints for viscous effects in the hydrodynamic modeling of the expanding quark-gluon plasma.
We present measurements of the elliptic ($\mathrm{v}_2$), triangular ($\mathrm{v}_3$) and quadrangular ($\mathrm{v}_4$) anisotropic azimuthal flow over a wide range of pseudorapidities ($-3.5< \eta < 5$). The measurements are performed with Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}} = 2.76$ TeV using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The flow harmonics are obtained using two- and four-particle correlations from nine different centrality intervals covering central to peripheral collisions. We find that the shape of $\mathrm{v}_n(\eta)$ is largely independent of centrality for the flow harmonics $n=2-4$, however the higher harmonics fall off more steeply with increasing $|\eta|$. We assess the validity of extended longitudinal scaling of $\mathrm{v}_2$ by comparing to lower energy measurements, and find that the higher harmonic flow coefficients are proportional to the charged particle densities at larger pseudorapidities. Finally, we compare our measurements to both hydrodynamical and transport models, and find they both have challenges when it comes to describing our data.
The elliptic and triangular flow coefficients $v_2$ and $v_3$ of prompt D$^{0}$, D$^{+}$, and D$^{*+}$ mesons were measured at midrapidity ($|y|<0.8$) in Pb-Pb collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The D mesons were reconstructed via their hadronic decays in the transverse momentum interval $1< p_{\rm T}<36$ GeV/$c$ in central (0-10%) and semi-central (30-50%) collisions. Compared to pions, protons, and J/$\psi$ mesons, the average D-meson $v_{n}$ harmonics are compatible within uncertainties with a mass hierarchy for $p_{\rm T} \lesssim 3$ GeV/$c$, and are similar to those of charged pions for higher $p_{\rm T}$. The coupling of the charm quark to the light quarks in the underlying medium is further investigated with the application of the event-shape engineering (ESE) technique to the D-meson $v_2$ and $p_{\rm T}$-differential yields. The D-meson $v_2$ is correlated with average bulk elliptic flow in both central and semi-central collisions. Within the current precision, the ratios of per-event D-meson yields in the ESE-selected and unbiased samples are found to be compatible with unity. All the measurements are found to be reasonably well described by theoretical calculations including the effects of charm-quark transport and the recombination of charm quarks with light quarks in a hydrodynamically expanding medium.
The elliptic flow ($v_2$) of $\rm D^0$ mesons from beauty-hadron decays (non-prompt $\rm D^0$) was measured in midcentral (30-50%) Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The $\rm D^0$ mesons were reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y|<0.8$) from their hadronic decay $\mathrm{D^0 \to K^-\pi^+}$, in the transverse momentum interval $2 < p_{\rm T} < 12$ GeV/$c$. The result indicates a positive $v_2$ for non-prompt $\rm D^0$ mesons with a significance of 2.7$\sigma$. The non-prompt $\rm D^0$-meson $v_2$ is lower than that of prompt non-strange D mesons with 3.2$\sigma$ significance in $2 < p_{\rm T} < 8$ GeV/$c$, and compatible with the $v_2$ of beauty-decay electrons. Theoretical calculations of beauty-quark transport in a hydrodynamically expanding medium describe the measurement within uncertainties.
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