Role of chemical potential at kinetic freeze-out using Tsallis non-extensive statistics in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider

TL;DR

This study investigates the role of chemical potential at kinetic freeze-out in proton-proton collisions at the LHC, using Tsallis non-extensive statistics to fit transverse momentum spectra and analyze particle yields.

Contribution

It introduces a finite chemical potential at freeze-out within Tsallis statistics, highlighting its significance in describing particle production in $pp$ collisions.

Findings

Finite chemical potential at freeze-out improves fit quality.

Particle-antiparticle yields suggest non-zero chemical potential.

Single freeze-out scenario is supported by the analysis.

Abstract

The charged-particle transverse momentum spectra ($p_{\rm T}$-spectra) measured by the ALICE collaboration for $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt {s} =$ 7 and 13 TeV have been studied using a thermodynamically consistent form of Tsallis non-extensive statistics. The Tsallis distribution function is fitted to the $p_{\rm T}$-spectra and the results are analyzed as a function of final state charged-particle multiplicity for various light flavor and strange particles, such as $\pi^{\pm}, K^{\pm}, p+\bar{p}, \phi, \Lambda+\bar{\Lambda}, \Xi+\bar{\Xi}, \Omega+\bar{\Omega}$. At the LHC energies, particles and antiparticles are produced in equal numbers. However, the equality of particle and antiparticle yields at the kinetic freeze-out may imply that they have the same but opposite chemical potential which is not necessarily zero. We use an alternative procedure that makes use of parameter redundancy, by introducing a finite chemical potential at the kinetic freeze-out stage. This article emphasizes the importance of the chemical potential of the system produced in $pp$ collisions at the LHC energies using the Tsallis distribution function which brings the system to a single freeze-out scenario.