Statistical analysis of initial-state and final-state response in heavy-ion collisions

Abstract

High-energy nuclear collisions are analyzed theoretically using multistage models assembled to simulate the different stages of the reaction. This paper presents a new method for systematically characterizing the early-time density of a heavy-ion collision system. It is then used to analyze events from different models as well as the system response to these initial conditions. This method will help distinguish between different approaches to describing the dynamics of relativistic heavy-ion collisions at very early times.