$\rm{\Lambda^{+}_{c}}$ production cross section in pp and p--Pb collisions down to $p_{\rm T}$ = 0 at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV measured with ALICE

TL;DR

This paper reports detailed measurements of prompt $ m{ abla^{+}_{c}}$ production cross sections and baryon-to-meson ratios in pp and p--Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV, revealing non-universal charm fragmentation and providing insights into heavy-flavour hadronization.

Contribution

It presents the first ALICE measurements of $ m{ abla^{+}_{c}}$ production down to zero transverse momentum in p--Pb collisions and compares baryon-to-meson ratios across different collision systems.

Findings

$ m{ abla^{+}_{c}}$ production is higher than in $e^+e^-$ collisions.

The $ m{ abla^{+}_{c}}/{ m D^0}$ ratio is significantly elevated at the LHC.

Charm fragmentation appears non-universal across collision systems.

Abstract

The open heavy-flavour hadron measurements in proton--proton and proton--lead collisions give insight into the charm production and hadronization mechanisms. In this contribution, the latest measurements of the production cross section of prompt $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}$ and its charge conjugate performed with the ALICE detector at midrapidity in pp, and the new measurement of $\Lambda_\mathrm{c}^+ \to \mathrm{p} \mathrm{K}_\mathrm{S}^0$ performed down to $p_{\rm T}=0$ in p--Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV are presented. We also present the first ALICE measurement of the baryon-to-meson ratio $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}/{\rm D^0}$ and the $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}$ nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm pPb}$ down to $p_{\rm T}$ = 0 in p--Pb collisions. The $\Lambda^+_{\rm c}/{\rm D^0}$ ratio at midrapidity at the LHC is significantly higher than the one in ${\rm e^+e^-}$ collisions, suggesting that the fragmentation of charm is not universal across different collision systems. The results are compared with theoretical calculations.