Eur. Phys. J. A (2016) 52: 249
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2016-16249-0

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Scaling in heavy-ion collisions and the low-energy frontier

IFGW Unicamp, Rua Sergio Barque de Holanda 777, Campinas, Brazil

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Received: 18 September 2015
Accepted: 14 December 2015
Published online: 23 August 2016

Abstract

The common interpretation of elliptic flow in heavy-ion collisions is that it is produced by hydrodynamic flow at low transverse momentum and by parton energy loss at high transverse momentum. Here, we discuss this interpretation in view of the dependence of on energy, rapidity and system size, and show that it is far from clear how the relevant properties necessary for this interpretation, low viscosity and high opacity, turn on. A low-energy collider such as NICA is essential for this interpretation to be verified, understood and related to the fundamental properties of hadronic matter.