The azimuth structure of nuclear collisions -- I

Abstract

We describe azimuth structure commonly associated with elliptic and directed flow in the context of 2D angular autocorrelations for the purpose of precise separation of so-called nonflow (mainly minijets) from flow. We extend the Fourier-transform description of azimuth structure to include power spectra and autocorrelations related by the Wiener-Khintchine theorem. We analyze several examples of conventional flow analysis in that context and question the relevance of reaction plane estimation to flow analysis. We introduce the 2D angular autocorrelation with examples from data analysis and describe a simulation exercise which demonstrates precise separation of flow and nonflow using the 2D autocorrelation method. We show that an alternative correlation measure based on Pearson's normalized covariance provides a more intuitive measure of azimuth structure.

27 pages, 12 figures

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• Collective phenomena in non-central nuclear collisions
• Anomalous centrality evolution of two-particle angular correlations from Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 62 and 200 GeV
• Evolution of minimum-bias parton fragmentation in nuclear collisions
• Universal Centrality and Collision Energy Trends for $v_2$ Measurements From 2D Angular Correlations
• ZYAM and ${\mathbf{v}}_2$: Underestimating jet yields from dihadron azimuth correlations
• The Rise and Fall of the Ridge in Heavy Ion Collisions
• Azimuth quadrupole component spectra on transverse rapidity ${\mathbf{y}}_{\mathbf{t}}$ for identified hadrons from Au-Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 200 GeV
• Elliptic Flow: A Study of Space-Momentum Correlations In Relativistic Nuclear Collisions
• Analyzing the Power Spectrum of the Little Bangs
• Is hydrodynamics relevant to RHIC collisions?
• Parton fragmentation in the vacuum and in the medium
• A critical review of RHIC experimental results
• Azimuth Quadrupole Systematics in Au-Au Collisions
• On the presence of nonjet "higher harmonic" components in 2D angular correlations from high energy heavy ion collisions
• Optimal modeling of 1D azimuth correlations in the context of Bayesian inference
• Initial fluctuations and power spectrum of flow anisotropies in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
• Effects of Minijets on Common Observables in Heavy-Ion Collisions with Uncommon Implications
• The "soft ridge" - is it initial-state geometry or modified jets?