A method to test the coupling strength of the linear and nonlinear contributions to higher-order flow harmonics via event shape engineering

A multi-phase transport model is used to study the efficacy of shape-engineered events to delineate the degree of coupling between the linear and nonlinear contributions to the higher-order flow harmonics v 4 and v 5. The study shows that the nonlinear contributions are strongly shape-dependent while the linear contributions are shape-independent, indicating little if any, coupling between the linear and nonlinear flow coefficients. The experimental verification of such patterns could be an invaluable tool for robust extraction of the linear and mode-coupled flow coefficients, especially for beam energies where the charged particle multiplicity and the event statistics precludes the use of current methods to establish the coupling strength.