Elliptical flow -- a signature for early pressure in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions

Abstract

Elliptical energy flow patterns in non-central Au(11.7AGeV) on Au reactions have been studied employing the RQMD model. The strength of these azimuthal asymmetries is calculated comparing the results in two different modes of RQMD (mean field and cascade). It is found that the elliptical flow which is readily observable with current experimental detectors may help to distinguish different reasonable expansion scenarios for baryon-dense matter. The final asymmetries are very sensitive to the pressure at maximum compression, because they involve a partial cancelation between early squeeze-out and subsequent flow in the reaction plane. This cancelation can be expected to occur in a broad energy region covered by the current heavy ion fixed-target programs at BNL and at CERN.