p-p minimum-bias dijets and nonjet quadrupole in relation to conjectured collectivity (flows) in high-energy nuclear collisions

CENPA 354290 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Published online: 4 July 2016

Abstract

Recent observations of ridge-like structure in p-p and p-A angular correlations at the RHIC and LHC have been interpreted to imply collective motion in smaller collision systems. It is argued that if correlation structures accepted as manifestations of flow in A-A collisions appear in smaller systems collectivity (flow) must extend to the smaller systems. But the argument could be reversed to conclude that such structures appearing in A-A collisions may not imply hydrodynamic flow. I present spectrum, correlation and fluctuation data from RHIC p-p and Au-Au collisions and p-p, p-Pb and Pb-Pb results from the LHC described accurately by a two-component (soft+dijet) model of hadron production. I also present evidence for a significant p-p nonjet (NJ) quadrupole (v₂) component with n_ch systematics directly related to A-A NJ quadrupole systematics. The combination suggests that soft, dijet and NJ quadrupole com- ponents are distinct phenomena in all cases, inconsistent with hadron production from a common bulk medium exhibiting collective motion (flow).