Constituent quark number scaling from strange hadron spectra in pp collisions at TeV *

Abstract

Abstract We show that the spectra of and at midrapidity in the inelastic events in collisions at 13 TeV exhibit a constituent quark number scaling property, which is a clear signal of quark combination mechanism at hadronization. We use a quark combination model with equal velocity combination approximation to systematically study the production of identified hadrons in collisions at = 13 TeV. The midrapidity spectra for protons, , , , and in the inelastic events are simultaneously fitted by the model. The multiplicity dependence of the yields of these hadrons are also well understood. The strong dependence of the ratio is well explained by the model, which further suggests that the production of two hadrons with similar masses is determined by their quark content at hadronization. The spectra of strange hadrons at midrapidity in different multiplicity classes in collisions at 13 TeV are predicted for further tests of the model. The midrapidity spectra of soft ( GeV/c) strange quarks and up/down quarks at hadronization in collisions at 13 TeV are extracted.