Constraining hadronization mechanisms with Λ+c/D0 production ratios in Pb-Pb collisions at √SNN=5.02 TeV

The production of prompt A+c baryons at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) was measured in central (0-10%) and mid-central (30-50%) Pb-Pb collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon-nucleon pair root sNN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector. The results are more precise, more differential in centrality, and reach much lower transverse momentum (pT =1 GeV/c) with respect to previous measurements performed by the ALICE, STAR, and CMS Collaborations in nucleus-nucleus collisions, allowing for an extrapolation down to pT = 0. The pT-differential A+c /D0 ratio is enhanced with respect to the pp measurement for 4 < pT < 8 GeV/c by 3.7 standard deviations (cr), while the pT-integrated ratios are compatible within 1cr. The observed trend is similar to that observed in the strange sector for the A/K0S ratio. Model calculations including coalescence or statistical hadronization for charm-hadron formation are compared with the data.(c) 2023 European Organization for Nuclear Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons .org /licenses /by /4 .0/). Funded by SCOAP3.