Charge-dependent Flow Induced by Magnetic and Electric Fields in Heavy Ion Collisions

Abstract

We investigate the charge-dependent flow induced by magnetic and electric fields in heavy ion collisions. We simulate the evolution of the expanding cooling droplet of strongly coupled plasma hydrodynamically, using the iEBE-VISHNU framework, and add the magnetic and electric fields as well as the electric currents they generate in a perturbative fashion. We confirm the previously reported effect of the electromagnetically induced currents, that is a charge-odd directed flow $Δv_1$ that is odd in rapidity, noting that it is induced by magnetic fields (à la Faraday and Lorentz) and by electric fields (the Coulomb field from the charged spectators). In addition, we find a charge-odd $Δv_3$ that is also odd in rapidity and that has a similar physical origin. We furthermore show that the electric field produced by the net charge density of the plasma drives rapidity-even charge-dependent contributions to the radial flow $\langle p_T \rangle$ and the elliptic flow $Δv_2$. Although their magnitudes are comparable to the charge-odd $Δv_1$ and $Δv_3$, they have a different physical origin, namely the Coulomb forces within the plasma.

35 pages, 17 figures; references added, cosmetic changes, version to appear in PRC