Isolation of flow and nonflow correlations by two- and four-particle cumulant measurements of azimuthal harmonics in root s(NN)=200 GeV Au+Au collisions

A data-driven method was applied to Au+Au collisions at root S-NN = 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance Delta eta-dependent and Delta eta-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a Delta eta-independent component of the correlation, which is dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of. within the measured range of pseudorapidity vertical bar eta vertical bar < 1. In 20-30% central Au+Au collisions, the relative flow fluctuation was found to be 34% +/- 2%(stat.) +/- 3%(sys.) for particles with transverse momentum p(T) less than 2 GeV/c. The Delta eta-dependent part, attributed to nonflow correlations, is found to be 5% +/- 2%(sys.) relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at vertical bar Delta eta vertical bar > 0.7. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.