Measurement of Identified π0 and Inclusive Photon Second-Harmonic Parameter v2 and Implications for Direct Photon Production in √sNN = 200GeV Au + Au

The azimuthal distribution of identified π0 and inclusive photons has been measured in VsNN=200 GeV Au+Au collisions with the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC). The second-harmonic parameter (v2) was measured to describe the observed anisotropy of the azimuthal distribution. The measured inclusive photon v2 is consistent with the value expected for the photons from hadron decay and is also consistent with the lack of direct photon signal over the measured pT range 1–6 GeV/c. An attempt is made to extract v2 of direct photons.