Production of light flavor and single-charmed hadrons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV in an equal-velocity quark combination model

TL;DR

This paper uses an equal-velocity quark combination model to successfully describe the production and spectra of light-flavor and single-charmed hadrons in proton-proton collisions at 5.02 TeV, revealing quark number scaling and predicting charmed baryon ratios.

Contribution

The study introduces a quark combination model that explains hadron production in $pp$ collisions and predicts charmed baryon cross-section ratios, extending understanding of hadronization mechanisms.

Findings

Experimental data for $ ext{p}_T$ spectra of $oldsymbol{ ext{Omega}}$ and $oldsymbol{ ext{phi}}$ show quark number scaling.

The model systematically describes $ ext{p}_T$ spectra of various light-flavor and charmed hadrons.

Predicted ratios $oldsymbol{ ext{Xi}_c^{0,+}/D^0}$ and $oldsymbol{ ext{Omega}_c^{0}/D^0}$ are about 0.16 and 0.012, respectively.

Abstract

We apply an equal-velocity quark combination model to study the production of light-flavor hadrons and single-charmed hadrons at midrapidity in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV. We find experimental data for $p_{T}$ spectra of $\Omega$ and $\phi$ exhibit a quark number scaling property, which is a clear signal of quark combination mechanism at hadronization. Experimental data for $p_T$ spectra of $p$, $\Lambda$, $\Xi$, $\Omega$, $\phi$ and $K^{*0}$ are systematically described by the model. The non-monotonic $p_{T}$ dependence of $\Omega/\phi$ ratio is naturally explained and we find it is closely related to the shape of the logarithm of strange quark $p_{T}$ distribution. Using $p_{T}$ spectra of light-flavor quarks obtained from light-flavor hadrons and a $p_T$ spectrum of charm quarks which is consistent with perturbative QCD calculations, the experimental data for differential cross-sections of $D^{0,+}$, $D_{s}^{+}$ and $\Lambda_{c}^{+}$ as the function of $p_{T}$ are systematically described. We predict the differential cross-sections of $\Xi_{c}^{0,+}$ and $\Omega_{c}^{0}$. The ratio $\Xi_{c}^{0,+}/D^{0}$ in our model is about 0.16 and $\Omega_{c}^{0}/D^{0}$ is about 0.012 due to the cascade suppression of strangeness. In addition, the predicted $\Xi_{c}^{0,+}/D^{0}$ and $\Omega_{c}^{0}/D^{0}$ ratios exhibit the non-monotonic dependence on $p_{T}$ in the low $p_{T}$ range.