$$\pi $$, K, and p production in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $$\mathbf {\sqrt{ s} = 13}$$ TeV

Abstract This paper presents the measurement of $$\pi ^{\pm }$$ π ± , $$\text {K}^{\pm }$$ K ± , and p( $$\bar{\text {p}}$$ p ¯ ) production in high-multiplicity proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ s = 13 TeV at midrapidity ( $$|y| < 0.5$$ | y | < 0.5 ) using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse-momentum ( $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T ) spectra of these particles are reported for three high-multiplicity classes. The results show a mass- and multiplicity-dependent hardening of the $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T spectra and an enhancement of the p/ $$\pi $$ π ratio at intermediate $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T . These features are similar to those observed in heavy-ion collisions, where quark–gluon plasma formation is expected. The new measurements have extended the highest average charged-particle multiplicity density per unit of pseudorapidity achieved in pp collisions, roughly a factor five higher than that in average inelastic pp collisions, thereby reducing the multiplicity gap between small and large collision systems. In addition, the results are further compared with previously published measurements and with model calculations obtained using distinct tunes of the PYTHIA 8 Monte Carlo generator, as well as with predictions from the EPOS4. The comparison of the $$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T -integrated K/ $$\pi $$ π and p/ $$\pi $$ π ratios across different collision systems and energies suggests that particle production scales with charged-particle multiplicity, rather than with collision energy or system size. While the PYTHIA 8 tunes and the EPOS4 model are able to reproduce some of these measurements, either quantitatively or qualitatively, none of them consistently describes all observed features of the data.

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Publication Details

Journal
The European Physical Journal C
Published
2026-09-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-026-16235-5
Primary Topic
High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
Type
article
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article

$$\pi $$, K, and p production in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $$\mathbf {\sqrt{ s} = 13}$$ TeV

K. Barth, N. Agrawal, I. G. Bearden, A. Augustinus et al.
The European Physical Journal C
High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
article

$$\pi $$, K, and p production in high-multiplicity pp collisions at $$\mathbf {\sqrt{ s} = 13}$$ TeV

K. Barth, N. Agrawal, I. G. Bearden, A. Augustinus, Y. W. Baek, S. Arcelli, A. Bhasin, I. Altsybeev, A. Andronic, Bushra Ali, S. Ahmad, Z. Banoo, M. Arslandok, L. Betev, T. Alt, Partha Pratim Bhaduri, Mihail Bogdan Blidaru, E. Barreau, S. Biswas, F. Antinori, R. Bellwied, G. Batigne, L. Bianchi, Renu Bala, P. Becht, F. Bellini, J. Bielčík, J. Bielčíková, M. D. Azmi, I. Ahuja, G. Aglieri Rinella, L. S. Barnby, M. Al-Turany, Y. Bailung, Bartosz Baliś, B. Bhattacharjee, D. Behera, N. Apadula, V. Anguelov, L. G. E. Beltran, A. Bilandzic, H. Appelshäuser, B. Alessandro, R. Averbeck, Massimo Angeletti, G. Bencédi, N. Bastid, D. Battistini, A. Berdnikova, R. Arnaldi, A. Alici, Valentina Akishina, Alberto Baldisseri, X. Bai, G. Bíró, L. Bergmann, L. Barreto, G. Alocco, I. Belikov, R. Bailhache, Z. Ahammed, S. Beolè, Joonsuk Bae, N. Andreou, Yael Antonio Vásquez Beltran, Luca Aglietta, Veronika Barbasová, P. Antonioli, I. C. Arsene, Banajit Barman, A. Badalà, Valerie Ramillien Barret, E. Bartsch, B. Batyunya, S. Acharya, F. Barile, J. Alme, G. G. Barnaföldi, L. Barioglio, Y. Bae, R. Alfaro Molina, C. Andrei, T. N. BHALLA, M. Barlou, J. L. Bazo Alba, Anna Binoy, Lorenzo Bernardinis, Ibrahim Jaser Abualrob, Valerio Di Bella, L. Baudino, S. Behera, M. A. C. Behling, O. Benchikhi, D. A. H. Abdallah, S. Bangalia, A. Bensaoula, H. Baba, D. Bauri, A. R. J. Babu, Z. Akbar
article en

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the measurement of $$\pi ^{\pm }$$ π ± , $$\text {K}^{\pm }$$ K ± , and p( $$\bar{\text {p}}$$ p ¯ ) production in high-multiplicity proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$ s = 13 TeV at midrapidity ( $$|y| < 0.5$$ | y | < 0.5 ) using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse-momentum ( $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T ) spectra of these particles are reported for three high-multiplicity classes. The results show a mass- and multiplicity-dependent hardening of the $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T spectra and an enhancement of the p/ $$\pi $$ π ratio at intermediate $$p_\textrm{T} $$ p T . These features are similar to those observed in heavy-ion collisions, where quark–gluon plasma formation is expected. The new measurements have extended the highest average charged-particle multiplicity density per unit of pseudorapidity achieved in pp collisions, roughly a factor five higher than that in average inelastic pp collisions, thereby reducing the multiplicity gap between small and large collision systems. In addition, the results are further compared with previously published measurements and with model calculations obtained using distinct tunes of the PYTHIA 8 Monte Carlo generator, as well as with predictions from the EPOS4. The comparison of the $$p_\textrm{T}$$ p T -integrated K/ $$\pi $$ π and p/ $$\pi $$ π ratios across different collision systems and energies suggests that particle production scales with charged-particle multiplicity, rather than with collision energy or system size. While the PYTHIA 8 tunes and the EPOS4 model are able to reproduce some of these measurements, either quantitatively or qualitatively, none of them consistently describes all observed features of the data.

The European Physical Journal CVol. 86(9)
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), University of Copenhagen (DK), University of Science and Technology of China (CN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Jammu (IN), University of Kansas (US), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US), Bose Institute (IN), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (IT), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IN), GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (DE), Aligarh Muslim University (IN), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), University of Oslo (NO), Wayne State University (US), Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (MX), Homi Bhabha National Institute (IN), University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik (SK), University of Derby (GB), Heidelberg University (DE), Fondazione Bruno Kessler (IT), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay (FR), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (FR), Yale University (US), Horia Hulubei National Institute for R and D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (RO), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari (IT), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Catania (IT), HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics (HU), Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules (FR), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna (IT), Czech Academy of Sciences, Nuclear Physics Institute (CZ), Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (DE), Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (FR), National Research and Innovation Agency (ID), Institut de Physique des 2 Infinis de Lyon (FR), University of Bergen (NO), University of Houston (US), Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ), Panjab University (IN), Technical University of Munich (DE), Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IN), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PE), European Organization for Nuclear Research (CH), AGH University of Krakow (PL), Université de Strasbourg (FR), Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (MX), The University of Tokyo (JP), Sungkyunkwan University (KR), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Nantes Université (FR)
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