Elliptic flow in high multiplicity proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt s$ = 14 TeV as a signature of deconfinement and quantum energy density fluctuations

Abstract

At LHC extreme values of energy density will be reached even for proton-proton collisions. Such values of energy density may be large enough to generate a collective motion in the products of the collision, therefore generating effects such as elliptic flow. Using ideal 3+1D hydrodynamical simulations, we show that elliptic flow can occur at least for top multiplicities p-p events at LHC and that the intensity of such effect is strongly related to quantum fluctuations in the initial proton energy distribution.