Measurements of \({\pi}^{\mathbf{0}}\) Elliptic Flow in Cu \(\boldsymbol{+}\) Au Collisions

Abstract

Studying the properties of deconfined state of partonic matter, or so-called quark-gluon plasma (QGP), can be performed using different observables, such as azimuthal anisotropy of emitted hadrons in heavy-ion collisions. To quantify observed azimuthal anisotropy in momentum space the elliptic flow (\(v_{2}\)) is used. Since the spatial azimuthal anisotropy arises in the early stages after the collision of nuclei, where the QGP phase can dominate, the elliptic flow is considered a sensitive tool to study the collective behavior in QGP. To study the development of the elliptic flow, measurements of \(v_{2}\) values can be made for different particle’s species and collision geometries. The measurement of \(v_{2}\) for \(\pi^{0}\) mesons is particularly interesting in this regard since their production is measurable up to high values of transverse momentum (\(p_{T}>5\) GeV/c). The talk will present new results for \(\pi^{0}\) elliptic flow in Cu \(+\) Au collisions as a function of \(\pi^{0}\) transverse momentum for different centralities. This set of results provides an additional opportunity to identify the dominant mechanisms in the development of \(\pi^{0}\) elliptic flow over a wide range of transverse momentum in Cu \(+\) Au collisions.