Geometry and multiplicity in high energy collisions of d-Au

Abstract

In characterizing the strongly coupled QCD system produced in nuclear collisions an important uncertainity is the initial state, in particular the role of nuclear and subnuclear scale fluctuations in small systems. In this regard, the d-Au collision is a potentially unique probe since the deuterium nucleus contains only two nuclei, allowing potentially to separate nucleonic and sub-nucleonic dynamics from multiplicity cuts. We investigate this possibility via the PHOBOS Glauber Monte Carlo program. We calculate geometric quantities of the initial state of an ultra-relativistic collision between a deuterium and a gold nucleus, and systematically examine the relationship between geometry and experimental observables.