Initial condition for hydrodynamics, partonic free streaming, and the uniform description of soft observables at RHIC

We investigate the role of the initial condition used for the hydrodynamic evolution of the system formed in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions and find that an appropriate choice motivated by the models of early-stage dynamics, specifically a simple two-dimensional Gaussian profile, leads to a uniform description of soft observables measured in the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). In particular, the transverse-momentum spectra, the elliptic-flow, and the Hanbury-Brown--Twiss correlation radii, including the ratio R_out/R_side as well as the dependence of the radii on the azimuthal angle (azHBT), are properly described. We use the perfect-fluid hydrodynamics with a realistic equation of state based on lattice calculations and the hadronic gas at high and low temperatures, respectively. We also show that the inclusion of the partonic free-streaming in the early stage allows to delay the start of the hydrodynamical description to comfortable times of the order of 1 fm/c. Free streaming broadens the initial energy-density profile, but generates the initial transverse and elliptic flow. The data may be described equally well when the hydrodynamics is started early, or with a delay due to partonic free-streaming.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

On cosine families close to scalar cosine families

We prove that if two normed-algebra-valued cosine families indexed by a single Abelian group, of which one is bounded and comprised solely of scalar elements of the underlying algebra, differ in norm by less than $1$ uniformly in the parametrising index, then these families coincide.Comment: Updated the bibliograph

General formulation of transverse hydrodynamics

General formulation of hydrodynamics describing transversally thermalized matter created at the early stages of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions is presented. Similarities and differences with the standard three-dimensionally thermalized relativistic hydrodynamics are discussed. The role of the conservation laws as well as the thermodynamic consistency of two-dimensional thermodynamic variables characterizing transversally thermalized matter is emphasized

The realistic QCD equation of state in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and the early Universe

The realistic equation of state of strongly interacting matter, that has been successfully applied in the recent hydrodynamic studies of hadron production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC, is used in the Friedmann equation to determine the precise time evolution of thermodynamic parameters in the early Universe. A comparison with the results obtained with simple ideal-gas equations of state is made. The realistic equation of state describes a crossover rather than the first-order phase transition between the quark-gluon plasma and hadronic matter. Our numerical calculations show that small inhomogeneities of strongly interacting matter in the early Universe are moderately damped during such crossover