Investigations of anisotropic flow using multi-particle azimuthal correlations in pp, p-Pb, Xe-Xe, and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC

Abstract: Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients ($v_n$) and their cross-correlations using two- and multi-particle cumulant methods are reported in collisions of pp at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, p-Pb at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV, Xe-Xe at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} = 5.44$ TeV, and Pb-Pb at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} = 5.02$ TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. These measurements are performed as a function of multiplicity in the mid-rapidity region $|\eta|<0.8$ for the transverse momentum range $0.2 < p_{\rm T} < 3.0$ GeV/$c$. An ordering of the coefficients $v_2 > v_3 > v_4$ is found in pp and p-Pb collisions, similar to that seen in large collision systems, while a weak $v_2$ multiplicity dependence is observed relative to nucleus--nucleus collisions in the same multiplicity range. Using the novel subevent method, $v_{2}$ measured in pp and p-Pb collisions with four-particle cumulants is found to be compatible with that from six-particle cumulants. The symmetric cumulants $SC(m,n)$ calculated with the subevent method which evaluate the correlation strength between $v_n^2$ and $v_m^2$ are also presented. The presented data, which add further support to the existence of long-range multi-particle azimuthal correlations in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions, can neither be described by PYTHIA8 nor by IP-Glasma+MUSIC+UrQMD model calculations, and hence provide new insights into the understanding of collective effects in small collision systems.