Forward-backward correlations and multiplicity fluctuations in Pb–Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}= 2.76$ TeV from ALICE at the LHC

Abstract

Forward-backward (FB) multiplicity correlations carry important information on the early dynamics of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions. This paper presents recent data on forward-backward multiplicity correlations and fluctuations in Pb--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=2.76 TeV obtained in the ALICE experiment. The analysis focuses on two observables: the forward-backward correlation coefficient $b^{n-n}_{corr}$ and the strongly intensive quantity $\Sigma$. The objective of this study was to investigate measured quantities in the context of the dependence on the centrality estimator and the influence of event-by-event volume fluctuations in the Pb--Pb collisions.