Is hexagonal flow ν₆ just a superposition of elliptic ν₂ and triangular ν₃ flows?

¹ Department of Physics, University of Oslo, PB 1048 Blindern, Oslo, Norway
² Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University, RU-119991 Moscow, Russia
³ Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HIOA), Oslo, Norway
⁴ Czech Technical University in Prague, FNSPE, Prague, Czech Republic
⁵ Joint Institute for Nuclear Researches, Dubna, Russia

^a e-mail: eugen.zabrodin@fys.uio.no

Published online: 29 April 2014

Abstract

HYDJET++ model, which combines parametrized hydrodynamics with jets, is employed to study the dependence of the hexagonal flow, ν₆, on the elliptic, ν₂, and triangular, ν₃, flows. Calculations are performed for lead-lead collisions at √s = 2.76 ATeV with centrality 10% ≤ σ/σ_geo ≤ 50%. Hexagonal flow in the model emerges only due to the presence of ν₂ and ν₃. Position of its event plane, Ψ₆, is found to be closer to Ψ₃ for semi-central events, whereas in peripheral reactions it is closer to Ψ₂, in line with the experimental analysis of the plane correlations. The amplitude of “induced" hexagonal flow is also comparable with that obtained in experiments. It means, in particular, that many features of the ν₆ can be explained by interplay of elliptic and triangular flows.