Collision centrality and energy dependence of strange hadron production in Au + Au collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 7.7-54.4 GeV

TL;DR

This study uses a quark combination model to analyze strange hadron production in Au+Au collisions across various energies, accurately matching experimental data and explaining the dependence of baryon-to-meson ratios and R_{CP} on collision parameters.

Contribution

The paper introduces an analytic framework linking hadron R_{CP} to quark spectra, providing a systematic explanation of strange hadron production and ratios across different collision energies and centralities.

Findings

Model achieves 2-3% deviation from experimental data at high energies.

Explains p_{T} dependence of baryon-to-meson ratios.

Derives relations between hadron and quark R_{CP}.

Abstract

We apply an equal-velocity quark combination model to systematically study the transverse momentum (p_{T}) spectra of strange hadrons K_{S}^{0}, \phi, \Lambda, \Xi^{-}, \Omega^{-}, \bar{\Lambda}, \bar{\Xi}^{+} and \bar{\Omega}^{+} at mid-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 7.7, 11.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 54.4 GeV. Relative deviation between the model calculation and experimental data of these eight hadrons is generally about 2-3% at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 27, 39, 54.4 GeV and in central collisions at 7.7, 11.5, 19.6 GeV. The deviation slightly increases up to about 4% in the semi-central and peripheral collision at \sqrt{s_{NN}}= 7.7, 11.5, 19.6 GeV. We systematically explain the dependence of two baryon-to-meson ratios \bar{\Lambda}/K_{S}^{0} and \Omega/\phi on p_{T}, collision centrality and collision energy by the property of quark p_{T} spectra at hadronization. We derive the analytic relations between R_{CP} of hadrons and those of quarks, and we use them to naturally explain the species and p_{T} dependence of R_{CP} of those strange hadrons.