Multiplicity dependence freeze-out scenarios in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV

TL;DR

This study analyzes hadron yields in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV to determine chemical freeze-out parameters, comparing different freeze-out schemes and their dependence on multiplicity and system size.

Contribution

It introduces and compares three freeze-out schemes in small and large collision systems, highlighting the role of strangeness equilibration and volume dependence.

Findings

1CFO+γ_S scheme best describes low-multiplicity p+p data.

Freeze-out parameters increase with multiplicity.

Different CFO schemes are optimal in different volume regimes.

Abstract

The data on transverse momentum integrated hadron yields in different multiplicity classes of p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV have been analyzed to extract the chemical freeze-out parameters using a thermal model. The chemical freeze-out parameters have been extracted for three different freeze-out schemes: i. unified freeze-out for all hadrons in complete thermal equilibrium (1CFO), ii. unified freeze-out for all hadrons with an additional parameter $\gamma_S$ which accounts for possible out-of-equilibrium production of strange hadrons (1CFO$+\gamma_S$), and iii. separate freeze-out for hadrons with and without strangeness content (2CFO). It has been observed that 1CFO$+\gamma_S$ scheme gives the best description of the hadronic yields at midrapidity when multiplicity ($\langle dN_{ch}/d\eta \rangle$) of the collision is less than 10. This indicates that the strangeness is out of equilibrium in most of the multiplicity classes of p+p collisions. All the three parameters of this CFO scheme, temperature ($T$), radius of the fireball ($R$) and strangeness suppression factor ($\gamma_S$) increase with the increase of $\langle dN_{ch}/d\eta \rangle$. Further, we have compared applicability of different CFO schemes considering two more colliding system p+Pb at $\sNN$ = 5.02 and Pb+Pb at $\sNN$ = 2.76 TeV along with p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. We observe a freeze-out volume (or multiplicity) dependence of CFO schemes regardless of colliding ions. The 1CFO+$\gamma_S$, 1CFO and 2CFO schemes provide best description of the data when the dimension less quantity $VT^3$ approximately satisfies the conditions $VT^3 <50$, $50 < VT^3 < 100$ and $VT^3 > 100$ respectively or the corresponding multiplicity satisfies the conditions $\langle dN_{ch}/d\eta \rangle<30$, $30 < dN_{ch}/d\eta < 60$ and $\langle dN_{ch}/d\eta \rangle>100$ respectively.