Coarse graining scale and effectiveness of hydrodynamic modeling

Some basic questions about the hydrodynamical approach to relativistic heavy ion collisions are discussed aiming to clarify how far we can go with such an approach to extract useful information on the properties and dynamics of the QCD matter created. We emphasize the importance of the coarse-graining scale required for the hydrodynamic modeling which determines the space-time resolution and the associated limitations of collective flow observables. We show that certain kinds of observables can indicate the degree of inhomogeneity of the initial condition under less stringent condition than the local thermal equilibrium subjected to the coarse-graining scale compatible to the scenario.