Abstract: PHENIX measurements of particle species dependent flow
correlations at RHIC energies
Flow correlation measurements constitute a central pillar in the
body of evidence in support of the creation of the quark gluon plasma (QGP)
in RHIC collisions.
At RHIC energies, momentum anisotropy is believed to result from
frequent particle interactions which drive pressure gradients in an
``almond-shaped"
collision zone. However, the question of whether or not particle collisions
are frequent enough to achieve full local equilibrium is still under debate.
Similarly, a consensus on the detailed dynamical evolution of the QGP has
not been reached.
In recent experiments, the PHENIX collaboration has made detailed
measurements of flow correlations for several particle
species produced in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at sqrtsNN=200~GeV.
We will present a detailed set of harmonic flow correlation results and
discuss their implication for local thermalization and the dynamical
evolution of the QGP, as reflected by its equation of state and transport properties.