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Clustering structure effect on Hanbury-Brown-Twiss correlation in $^{12}$C + $^{197}$Au collisions at 200 GeV}

Through $^{12}$C + $^{197}$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} =$ 200 GeV using a multiphase transport (AMPT) model, the azimuthal angle dependences of the Hanbury Brown-Twiss (HBT) radii relative to the second- and third-order participant plane from $π$-$π$ correlations are discussed. Three initial geometric configurations of $^{12}$C, namely three-$α$-cluster triangle, three-$α$-cluster chain and Woods-Saxon distribution of nucleons, are taken into account, and their effects on the correlations are investigated. The ratio of the third- to the second-order HBT radii $R_{o(s),3}^2/R_{o(s),2}^2$ is shown to be a clear probe for three configurations. In addition, this work presents the hadronic rescattering time evolution of the azimuthally dependent HBT radii. From the present study, one can learn that the HBT correlation from identical particles at freeze-out is able to provide the information of different initial configurations as collective flow proposed before.