Sequential Strangeness Freeze-out

TL;DR

This paper discusses recent lattice QCD results indicating a possible flavor-dependent hadronic freeze-out during the QCD crossover, supported by comparisons with resonance gas models and experimental fluctuation data, suggesting new experimental directions.

Contribution

It presents evidence for a flavor hierarchy in the hadronic freeze-out, combining lattice QCD results with resonance gas models and experimental fluctuation measurements.

Findings

Evidence for flavor-dependent freeze-out from lattice QCD

Comparison with resonance gas models supports flavor hierarchy

Proposals for experimental tests at RHIC and LHC

Abstract

I will describe the latest results from lattice QCD pertaining to a potential flavour hierarchy in the hadronic freeze-out from the QCD crossover region. I will compare these results to a variety of improved hadronic resonance gas calculations and to experimental data of fluctuations of net-charge, net-proton and net-kaon multiplicity distributions, which serve as a proxy for the susceptibilities of conserved quantum numbers on the lattice. I will conclude that there is intriguing evidence for a flavour dependent freeze-out, and I will suggest expansions to the experimental program at RHIC and the LHC that could potentially demonstrate the impact of a flavour separation during hadronization.