Measurement of the higher-order anisotropic flow coefficients for identified hadrons in Au + Au collisions at √{sN N}=200 GeV

Measurements of the anisotropic flow coefficients v₂{Ψ₂} ,v₃{Ψ₃} ,v₄{Ψ₄} , and v₄{Ψ₂} for identified particles (π^±,K^± , and p +p ¯ ) at midrapidity, obtained relative to the event planes Ψ_m at forward rapidities in Au + Au collisions at √{s_NN}=200 GeV , are presented as a function of collision centrality and particle transverse momenta p_T. The v_n coefficients show characteristic patterns consistent with hydrodynamical expansion of the matter produced in the collisions. For each harmonic n , a modified valence quark-number N_q scaling [plotting v_n{Ψ_m} /(N^{_q) n /2} versus transverse kinetic energies (KE_T) /N_q] is observed to yield a single curve for all the measured particle species for a broad range of KE_T. A simultaneous blast-wave model fit to the observed v_n{Ψ_m} (p_T) coefficients and published particle spectra identifies radial flow anisotropies ρ_n{Ψ_m} and spatial eccentricities s_n{Ψ_m} at freeze-out. These are generally smaller than the initial-state participant-plane geometric eccentricities ɛ_n{Ψ_m^PP} as also observed in the final eccentricity from quantum interferometry measurements with respect to the event plane.