K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ correlations in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV from the LHC ALICE experiment

TL;DR

This paper measures neutral kaon pair correlations in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV, revealing femtoscopic source parameters, transverse mass scaling, and the first observation of the f$_2'$(1525) meson decay into K$^0_s$K$^0_s$.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ correlations in pp collisions at 7 TeV, including femtoscopic parameters and the decay of a meson into this channel.

Findings

Femtoscopic radius increases with multiplicity.

Radius decreases slightly with increasing transverse mass.

First observation of f$_2'$(1525) decay into K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ in pp collisions.

Abstract

Identical neutral kaon pair correlations are measured in $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV pp collisions in the ALICE experiment. One-dimensional K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ correlation functions in terms of the invariant momentum difference of kaon pairs are formed in two multiplicity and two transverse momentum ranges. The femtoscopic parameters for the radius and correlation strength of the kaon source are extracted. The f${\rm i}$t includes quantum statistics and final-state interactions of the a$_0$/f$_0$ resonance. K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ correlations show an increase in radius for increasing multiplicity and a slight decrease in radius for increasing transverse mass, $m_{\rm T}$, as seen in $\pi\pi$ correlations in the pp system and in heavy-ion collisions. Transverse mass scaling is observed between the K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ and $\pi\pi$ radii. Also, the f${\rm i}$rst observation is made of the decay of the f$_2'$(1525) meson into the K$^0_s$K$^0_s$ channel in pp collisions.