English

Effect of nonflow and flow fluctuations on elliptic flow methods

Nuclear Experiment 2009-11-18 v2

Abstract

We discuss how the different estimates of elliptic flow are influenced by flow fluctuations and nonflow effects. It is explained why the event-plane method yields estimates between the two-particle correlation methods and the multiparticle correlation methods. It is argued that nonflow effects and fluctuations cannot be disentangled without other assumptions. However, we provide equations where, with reasonable assumptions about fluctuations and nonflow, all measured values of elliptic flow converge to a unique mean elliptic flow in the participant plane. Thus, the 20% spread in observed elliptic flow measurements from different analysis methods is no longer mysterious.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0906.3463,
  title  = {Effect of nonflow and flow fluctuations on elliptic flow methods},
  author = {Jean-Yves Ollitrault and Arthur M. Poskanzer and Sergei A. Voloshin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0906.3463},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

For Quark Matter 2009 proceedings. Fig. 1 redrawn

R2 v1 2026-06-21T13:15:09.568Z