Several heavy ion experiments at SPS have measured azimuthal distributions of particles with respect to the reaction plane. These distributions are deduced from two-particle azimuthal correlations under the assumption that they result solely from correlations with the reaction plane. In this paper, we investigate other sources of azimuthal correlations: transverse momentum conservation, which produces back-to-back correlations, resonance decays such as $\overrightarrow{\Delta }p\pi ,$ HBT correlations, and final state interactions. These correlations increase with impact parameter: most of them vary with the multiplicity N like $1/N.$ When they are taken into account, the experimental results of the NA49 Collaboration at SPS are significantly modified. These correlations might also explain an important fraction of the pion directed flow observed by WA98. Data should be reanalyzed taking into account carefully these nonflow correlations.

• Received 21 April 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.62.034902