Complete Strangeness Measurements in Heavy-Ion Collisions

TL;DR

This paper explores strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive measurements of strange particles to understand collision dynamics and medium modifications.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal statistical model incorporating exact strangeness conservation and highlights the significance of complete strangeness measurements for insights into collision processes.

Findings

Strangeness yields relate to collision dynamics.

Complete measurements can reveal medium modifications.

Production of multi-strange baryons is of particular interest.

Abstract

We discuss strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions within and around the energy range of the planned NICA facility. We describe the minimal statistical model, in which the total strangeness yield is fixed by the observed or calculated $K^+$ multiplicity. We show how the exact strangeness conservation can be taken into account on the event-by-event basis in such a model. We argue that from strange particle yields one can reveal information about the collision dynamics and about possible modifications of particle properties in medium. This can be best achieved if the complete strangeness measurement is performed, i.e. kaons, anti-kaons, hyperons and multistrange hyperons are registered in the same experimental setup. In particular the production of hadrons containing two and more strange quarks, like $\Xi$ and $\Omega$ baryons could be of interest.