Hints of incomplete thermalization in RHIC data

Sep, 2005
8 pages
Published in:
  • Eur.Phys.J.A 29 (2006) 27-31
e-Print:
Report number:
  • CERN-PH-TH-2005-183

Citations per year

200520072009201120131320
Abstract:
The large elliptic flow observed in Au-Au collisions at RHIC is often put forward as a compelling evidence for the formation of a strongly-interacting quark-gluon plasma. The main argument is that the measured elliptic flow is as large as the value given by fluid-dynamics models that assume complete thermalization. It is argued that this claim may not be justified, since a detailed examination of experimental data rather suggests that the system created is not fully equilibrated at the time when anisotropic flow develops.
  • 24.10.Nz
  • 25.75.Ld
  • anisotropic flow
  • hydrodynamics
  • out-of-equilibrium dynamics