The role of the underlying event in the $\Lambda_c^{+}$ enhancement in high-energy pp collisions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the increased production of $\Lambda_c^{+} ext{''}$ baryons in high-energy proton-proton collisions, attributing the enhancement mainly to underlying event activity rather than jet production, using PYTHIA 8 simulations.

Contribution

It introduces methods to distinguish the source of charmed-baryon enhancement based on event-activity classifiers and highlights the role of underlying event activity in this phenomenon.

Findings

$\Lambda_c^{+} ext{''}$ enhancement linked to underlying event activity

Proposed classifiers effectively identify the source of enhancement

Simulation results support the underlying event as primary factor

Abstract

We study the enhanced production of charmed baryons relative to charmed mesons in proton--proton collisions at LHC energies. Utilizing PYTHIA 8 simulations with enhanced color-reconnection we propose methods based on the comparative use of several event-activity classifiers to identify the source of the charmed-baryon enhancement. We also conclude that in the scenario under investigation the excess $\Lambda_c^{+}$ production is primarily linked to the underlying event activity and not to the production of jets.