Universal strangeness production and size fluctuactions in small and large systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how strangeness production varies with system size and fluctuations in high-energy collisions, revealing a universal behavior linked to initial parton density across different collision types.

Contribution

It introduces a dynamical variable related to initial parton density that unifies strangeness production in small and large systems, based on recent ALICE data.

Findings

Universal pattern of strange hadron production across systems

Strangeness production correlates with initial parton density

Size fluctuations influence hadronization processes

Abstract

Strangeness production in high multiplicity events gives indications on the transverse size fluctuactions in nucleus-nucleus ($AA$), proton-nucleus ($pA$) and proton-proton ($pp$) collisions. In particular the behavior of strange particle hadronization in "small" ($pp,pA$) and "large" ($AA$) initial configurations of the collision can be tested for the specific particle species, for different centralities and for large fluctuations of the transverse size in $pA$ and $pp$ by using the recent ALICE data. A universality of strange hadron production emerges by introducing a dynamical variable proportional to the initial parton density in the transverse plane.