Flow systematics from SIS to SPS energies

Abstract

The various flow phenomena observed at energies between 50 AMeV and 160 AGeV are reviewed. I first define three types of flow: directed flow and elliptic flow, which are the two first Fourier components of the azimuthal distribution in non-central collisions; radial flow, which is deduced from an analysis of transverse momentum spectra in central collisions. Then, I review the observations of directed flow and elliptic flow, with emphasis on recent results. I discuss their dependence on various parameters: global geometry (impact parameter, mass numbers of colliding nuclei and bombarding energy) and individual observables (rapidity, transverse momentum and particle type). Finally, I explain how azimuthal distributions can be measured experimentally.