Elliptic flow and Hanbury-Brown-Twiss correlations in noncentral nuclear collisions

Elliptic flow and Hanbury-Brown-Twiss correlations (HBT) are studied for no ncentral relativistic nuclear collisions. Azimuthal asymmetries show up in both elliptic flow and HBT radii and are calculated in both collisionless a nd hydrodynamic limits relevant for peripheral and central collisions, resp ectively. Determining the reaction plane and measuring the HBT radii as a f unction of the angle between the reaction plane and the particle momenta ca n determine the physical quantities as source sizes, deformations, emission times, duration of emission, and opacities. Comparison to SPS data and pre dictions for RHIC and LHC energies are given. The centrality dependence wit h and without a phase transition to a quark-gluon plasma is discussed-in pa rticular, how the physical quantities are expected to display a qualitative different behavior in the case of a phase transition. [S0556-2813(99)06405 -5].