Random model of flow decorrelation

Abstract

The collective flow generated in relativistic heavy-ion collisions fluctuates from event to event. The fluctuations lead to a decorrelation of flow vectors measured in separate bins in phase space. These effects have been measured in experiments and observed in numerical simulations in hydrodynamic models. We present a simple random model of flow decorrelation in pseudorapidity. Analytical expressions for the flow factorization breaking coefficients for flow vectors, flow vector magnitudes, and flow angles are derived. The model explains the relations between different factorization breaking coefficients found in experimental data and model simulations. In particular, it is found that the flow angle decorrelation constitutes about one half of the total flow vector decorrelation.