Viscous potential flow analysis of peripheral heavy ion collisions
Peer reviewed, Journal article
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Date
2013-02-19Metadata
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Original version
https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevc.87.024908Abstract
The conditions for the development of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) for the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) flow in a peripheral heavy ion collision is investigated. The projectile and target side particles are separated by an energetically motivated hypothetical surface, characterized with a phenomenological surface tension. In such a view, a classical potential flow approximation is considered and the onset of the KHI is studied. The growth rate of the instability is computed as a function of phenomenological parameters characteristic for the QGP fluid: viscosity, surface tension, and flow layer thickness.