Multiplicity dependence of f${}_0$(980) production in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

Abstract

The dependence of ${\mathrm{f}}_0$(980) production on the final-state charged-particle multiplicity is reported for proton-proton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy, $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV. The production of ${\mathrm{f}}_0$(980) is measured with the ALICE detector via the ${\mathrm{f}}_0(980)\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}$ decay channel in a midrapidity region of $|y|<0.5$. The evolution of the integrated yields and mean transverse momentum of f${}_0$(980) as a function of charged-particle multiplicity measured in pp at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV follows the trends observed in pp at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and in proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV. Particle yield ratios of ${\mathrm{f}}_0$(980) to ${\pi }^{\pm }$ and ${\mathrm{K}}^{\ast }$(892)${}^0$ are found to decrease with increasing charged-particle multiplicity. These particle ratios are compared with calculations from the canonical statistical thermal model as a function of charged-particle multiplicity. The thermal model calculations provide a better description of the decreasing trend of particle ratios when no strange or antistrange quark composition for f${}_0$(980) is assumed, which suggests that the data do not support significant hidden strangeness in the f${}_0$(980).

23 pages, 7 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 17, published version, figures at http://alice-publications.web.cern.ch/node/12690