The directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at 2:76 TeV relative to the collision symmetry plane defined by the spectator nucleons. A negative slope of the rapidity-odd directed flow component with approximately 3 times smaller magnitude than found at the highest RHIC energy is observed. This suggests a smaller longitudinal tilt of the initial system and disfavors the strong fireball rotation predicted for the LHC energies. The rapidity-even directed flow component is measured for the first time with spectators and found to be independent of pseudorapidity with a sign change at transverse momenta pT between 1.2 and 1:7 GeV=c. Combined with the observation of a vanishing rapidity-even pT shift along the spectator deflection this is strong evidence for dipolelike initial density fluctuations in the overlap zone of the nuclei. Similar trends in the rapidity-even directed flow and the estimate from two-particle correlations at midrapidity, which is larger by about a factor of 40, indicate a weak correlation between fluctuating participant and spectator symmetry planes. These observations open new possibilities for investigation of the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions with spectator nucleons.
Directed Flow of Charged Particles at Midrapidity Relative to the Spectator Plane in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV
ARNALDI, Roberta;BALA, RENU;BEOLE', Stefania;BERZANO, DARIO CARLO DOMENICO;BIANCHI, LIVIO;BOTTA, Elena;BRUNA, ELENA;BUFALINO, STEFANIA;CORRALES MORALES, YASSER;FERRETTI, Alessandro;GAGLIARDI, Martino;GALLIO, Mauro;INNOCENTI, GIAN MICHELE;LEONCINO, MARCO;MASERA, Massimo;MILANO, LEONARDO;RAMELLO, Luciano;RIVETTI, Angelo;RUSSO, RICCARDO;SCOMPARIN, ENRICO;SITTA, Mario;VALLERO, Sara;VERCELLIN, Ermanno;
2013-01-01
Abstract
The directed flow of charged particles at midrapidity is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at 2:76 TeV relative to the collision symmetry plane defined by the spectator nucleons. A negative slope of the rapidity-odd directed flow component with approximately 3 times smaller magnitude than found at the highest RHIC energy is observed. This suggests a smaller longitudinal tilt of the initial system and disfavors the strong fireball rotation predicted for the LHC energies. The rapidity-even directed flow component is measured for the first time with spectators and found to be independent of pseudorapidity with a sign change at transverse momenta pT between 1.2 and 1:7 GeV=c. Combined with the observation of a vanishing rapidity-even pT shift along the spectator deflection this is strong evidence for dipolelike initial density fluctuations in the overlap zone of the nuclei. Similar trends in the rapidity-even directed flow and the estimate from two-particle correlations at midrapidity, which is larger by about a factor of 40, indicate a weak correlation between fluctuating participant and spectator symmetry planes. These observations open new possibilities for investigation of the initial conditions in heavy-ion collisions with spectator nucleons.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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