0 70 10 49 v 2 1 7 Fe b 20 07 Elliptic flow fluctuations in √ s NN = 200 GeV Au + Au collisions at RHIC Constantin Loizides for the PHOBOS collaboration

We present first results on event-by-event elliptic flow fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at √ sNN = 200 GeV obtained with the PHOBOS detector. Over the measured range in centrality, large relative fluctuations of 40–50% are found. The elliptic flow fluctuations are well described as being proportional to fluctuations in the shape of the initial collision region, as estimated event-by-event with the participant eccentricity using Glauber Monte Carlo. PACS numbers: 25.75.-q Submitted to: J. Phys. G: Nucl. Phys.