Effect of flow fluctuations and nonflow on elliptic flow methods Original Research Article

We discuss how the different estimates of elliptic flow are influenced by flow fluctuations and nonflow effects. It is explained why the event-plane method yields estimates between the two-particle correlation methods and the multiparticle correlation methods. It is argued that nonflow effects and fluctuations cannot be disentangled without other assumptions. However, we provide equations where, with reasonable assumptions about fluctuations and nonflow, all measured values of elliptic flow converge to a unique mean ν2,PP elliptic flow in the participant plane. Thus, the 20% spread in observed elliptic flow measurements from different analysis methods is no longer mysterious.