Spatial Distribution of Initial Interactions in High Energy Collisions of Heavy Nuclei
Abstract
Description
The spatial distribution of interactions in high energy collisions of heavy nuclei is discussed using the wounded nucleon, binary collision, hard sphere, and colliding disk parameterizations of interaction densities. The mean radius, its dispersion, and the eccentricity of the interaction region are calculated as a function of impact parameter. The eccentricity is of special interest for comparison to measurements of anisotropic flow. The number of participants and binary collisions is also tabulated as a function of impact parameter.