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

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/σgeo ≤ 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.