The "ripples" on relativistically expanding fluid

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that fluctuations of various types play important roles in the evolution of the fireball created in relativistic heavy ion collisions and bear many phenomenological consequences for experimental observables. The bulk dynamics of the fireball is well described by relativistic hydrodynamic expansion and the fluctuations on top of such expanding background can be studied within the linearized hydrodynamic framework. In this work we present complete and analytic sound wave solutions on top of both Bjorken flow and Hubble flow backgrounds. We also briefly discuss the applications of these solutions in heavy ion collisions.