Deciphering the dynamics of nuclear collisions with elongated structure of $^{20}$Ne (2507.14262v1)

Abstract: We present the results obtained from the study of $^{20}$Ne$-$$^{20}$Ne collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 6.8 TeV using the Monte Carlo Pythia8/Angantyr model. Angantyr models heavy-ion collisions as a superposition of independent nucleon-nucleon (NN) collisions, without incorporating collective effects. We construct a bi-pyramidal structure of $^{20}$Ne nucleus composed of five $\alpha$-clusters and compare its collision dynamics against those generated using Woods-Saxon nuclear density distribution. The results are further compared for different orientations of the $^{20}$Ne nuclei, including tip-tip, body-body, body-tip, and random orientations of the bi-pyramidal structure. The results show that the geometric arrangement of $\alpha$-clusters in the $^{20}$Ne nucleus significantly influences the particle production patterns in final state multiplicity, mean transverse momentum ($\langle p_T \rangle$), and elliptic flow coefficient ($v_2$). These results highlight the sensitivity of final state observables to the nuclear structure and orientation of colliding nuclei, providing insights into the dynamics of small collision systems, even in non-hydrodynamic framework.