The first measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients $v_{ \rm{ n}}$ for mid-rapidity charged particles in Xe-Xe collisions at $\sqrt{ s_{ \rm{ NN}}} = 5.44$ TeV are presented. Comparing these measurements to those from Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{ s_{ \rm{ NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV, $v_{ 2}$ is found to be suppressed for mid-central collisions at the same centrality, and enhanced for central collisions. The values of $v_{ 3}$ are generally larger in Xe-Xe than in Pb-Pb at a given centrality. These observations are consistent with expectations from hydrodynamic predictions. When both $v_{ 2}$ and $v_{ 3}$ are divided by their corresponding eccentricities for a variety of initial state models, they generally scale with transverse density when comparing Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb, with some deviations observed in central Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb collisions. These results assist in placing strong constraints on both the initial state geometry and medium response for relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
Categories: nucl-ex