Enhancement of φ meson production in p-p and Pb-Pb collisions at SPS energy

Abstract

The φ meson yield, rapidity and transverse mass distributions in p-p and Pb-Pb collisions at 158 A GeV were studied by the hadron-string cascade model, LUCIAE. By adjusting the width parameter in q\(\bar q\) Gaussian like transverse momentum distribution in string fragmentation to fit the NA49 data of φ meson transverse mass distribution in p-p collisions, the obtained φ meson rapidity distribution in p-p collisions, the rapidity and transverse mass distributions in Pb-Pb collisions, and the φ meson enhancement factor in Pb-Pb relative to p-p collisions were compatible with corresponding NA49 data, which might be attributed to the collective effect in gluon emission of string and the reduction of strange quark suppression mechanisms involved in the LUCIAE model