Related papers: The RHIC azimuth quadrupole: "perfect liquid" or g…
The large elliptic flow observed in Au-Au collisions at RHIC is often put forward as a compelling evidence for the formation of a strongly-interacting quark-gluon plasma. The main argument is that the measured elliptic flow is as large as…
The lecture is a brief review of the following topics: (i) collective flow phenomena in heavy ion collisions. The data from RHIC indicate robust collective flows, well described by hydrodynamics with expected Equation of State. The…
It is argued that the observation of anisotropic azimuthal distribution of final state particles alone is insufficient to show whether the formed matter at RHIC behaves like hydrodynamic flow. Examining the intrinsic interaction (or…
A strong azimuthal flow signature at RHIC suggests rapid system equilibration leading to an almost perfect fluid state. The longitudinal extent of the flow behavior depends on how this state is formed and can be studied by measuring the…
The bulk of the hot and dense matter created at RHIC behaves like an almost ideal fluid. I present the evidence for this and also discuss what we can learn about the transport properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) from the gradual…
Previous measurements of a quadrupole component of azimuth correlations denoted by symbol $v_2$ have been interpreted to represent elliptic flow, a hydrodynamic phenomenon conjectured to play a major role in noncentral nucleus-nucleus…
Relativistic viscous hydrodynamic fits to RHIC data on the centrality dependence of multiplicity, transverse and elliptic flow for sqrt{s}=200 GeV Au+Au collisions are presented. For Glauber-type initial conditions, while data on integrated…
Background: A component of azimuth correlations from high-energy heavy ion collisions varying as $\cos(2\phi)$ and denoted by symbol $v_2$ is conventionally interpreted to represent "elliptic flow," a hydrodynamic manifestation of the…
Anisotropic flow is recognized as one of the main observables providing information on the early stage of a heavy-ion collision. At RHIC the large observed anisotropic flow and its successful description by ideal hydrodynamics is considered…
The hydrodynamic (hydro) model applied to heavy ion data from the relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) in the form of single-particle spectra and correlations seems to indicate that a dense QCD medium nearly opaque to partons, a…
Elliptic flow is an interesting probe of the dynamical evolution of the dense system formed in the ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The elliptic flow dependences on transverse momentum,…
Relativistic hydrodynamics has been extensively applied to high energy heavy-ion collisions. We review hydrodynamic calculations for Au+Au collisions at RHIC energies and provide a comprehensive comparison between the model and experimental…
Elliptic flow results are presented for Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 130$ GeV in RHIC. This signal is investigated as a function of transverse momentum, rapidity and centrality. Results from four-particle correlation analysis,…
Relativistic heavy ion collisions have reached energies that enable the creation of a novel state of matter termed the quark-gluon plasma. Many observables point to a picture of the medium as rapidly equilibrating and expanding as a nearly…
The large elliptic flow observed at RHIC is considered to be evidence for almost perfect liquid behavior of the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma produced in the collisions. In these proceedings we present a two parameter fit for the…
The fourth harmonic of the azimuthal distribution of particles $v_4$ has been measured for Au-Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The centrality dependence of $v_4$ does not agree with the prediction from…
Two-particle azimuthal correlations in central Au+Au collisional at RHIC have revealed a broadened away-side structure, with respect to perpherial Au+Au, pp, and d+Au. This could be explained by different physics mechanisms such as: large…
We show that the centrality and system-size dependence of elliptic flow measured at RHIC are fully described by a simple model based on eccentricity scaling and incomplete thermalization. We argue that the elliptic flow is at least 25%…
Elliptic flow holds much promise for studying the early-time thermalization attained in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions. Flow measurements also provide a means of distinguishing between hydrodynamic models and calculations which…
The relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) was constructed to achieve an asymptotic state of nuclear matter in heavy ion collisions, a near-ideal gas of deconfined quarks and gluons denoted quark-gluon plasma or QGP. RHIC collisions are…