Close-packing

If strings are closely packed, e.g. as a consequence of MPIs, it is likely that they receive an increased string tension, which translates into a broader pT spectrum, see further [Fis16]. It also means an enhanced rate (or rather reduced suppression) of strange quark production relative to up/down quark production. Close-packing effects are scaled by the effective number of near strings, which is pT suppressed and given by
κeff = (1 + (kpp + kqq) /(1+p2T had/p2T0)) 2rκ0.
This scales the probability StringFlav:probStoUD by
P'(s:u/d) = P(s:u/d)0eff)
StringFlav:probSQtoQQ and StringFlav:probQQ1toQQ0 also scale in this way. The width of the pT spectrum, given by σ^2 is scaled by
σ'2 = σ2 κeff0.
The diquark production probability StringFlav:probQQtoQ scales according to
P'(qq:q)=α'(P(qq:q)/α)κeff,
and α' is α recalculated given κeff. We allow different parameters to set kp depending on what the effective string tension is scaling. In principle if the close-packing mechanism were exact, enhanceStrange, enhanceStrange, and enhanceStrange would be equal, however we have built in extra degrees of freedom in the model. Note: for the purpose of close-packing, string overlaps are determined according to rapidity measured along the z axis. This should be quite appropriate for multi-string systems produced by MPI in pp collisions but would not make much sense to apply to processes such as ee→WW→hadrons, for which the z axis does not play any special role; such studies would be interesting but would require a generalisation of the current implementation.

flag  ClosePacking:doClosePacking   (default = off)
Turns on the close-packing model.

parm  ClosePacking:fluxRatio   (default = 0.5; minimum = 0.0; maximum = 1.0)
kq/kp ratio.

parm  ClosePacking:PT0   (default = 2.0; minimum = 0.0)
pT0 parameter above.

parm  ClosePacking:enhanceStrange   (default = 0.08; minimum = 0.0)
kp parameter above used for scaling StringFlav:probStoUD, StringFlav:probSQtoQQ and StringFlav:probQQ1toQQ0.

parm  ClosePacking:enhancePT   (default = 0.5; minimum = 0.0)
kp parameter above used for scaling StringPT:sigma.

parm  ClosePacking:enhanceDiquark   (default = 0.5; minimum = 0.0)
kp parameter above used for scaling StringFlav:probQQtoQ.

flag  ClosePacking:doEnhanceDiquark   (default = on)
As probQQtoQ is scaled by κ by α' regardless of ClosePacking:enhanceDiquark value, here we allow the scaling of probQQtoQ with an effective κ to be switched off altogether to capture the ambiguity in the scaling of probQQtoQ given the popcorn mechanism for diquark creation. Parameters ClosePacking:expNSP and ClosePacking:expMPI are typically used for the thermal model of string breaks. Normally only one of the options below would be used, but technically both are allowed and then combine multiplicatively.

parm  ClosePacking:expNSP   (default = 0.5; minimum = 0.0; maximum = 1.0)
r parameter above to allow non-linear scaling of κeff. Default value is based on Gaussian string breaks. For the thermal model, the default value is 0.13.

parm  ClosePacking:expMPI   (default = 0.0; minimum = 0.0; maximum = 1.0)
Allows scaling of width/temperature by number of MPI rather than number of near strings. The width/temparture will get the prefactor N(MPI)expMPI.

Popcorn destructive interference

The popcorn mechanism creates diquarks via a step-wise procedure of two successive colour fluctuations on a string. By allowing the first of these colour fluctuaions to break strings given the correct colour configuration, the probability of forming a diquark is reduced in densely packed string systems. To modify StringFlav:probQQtoQ, the survival probability of a diquark is considered, with fq and fp being the probability of the colour fluctuation to connect with an antiparallel or parallel nearby string respectively. Connections with antiparallel strings is expected to be dominant due to the favoured colour orientation. These probabilities are pT suppressed the same way as κeff is for close-packing, using parameter ClosePacking:PT0. As colour indices used in colour reconnections are currently not stored in the event, an equal distribution of colours is assumed instead. Considering the survival probability of the first fluctuation for a given colour configuration, the probability StringFlav:probQQtoQ is modified by
P'(qq:q) = ((1-fq)nq/9 (1-fp)np/9) P(qq:q).

parm  ClosePacking:baryonSup   (default = 0.5; minimum = 0.; maximum = 1.0)
fq parameter above.

parm  ClosePacking:parallelBaryonSup   (default = 0.; minimum = 0.; maximum = 1.0)
fp parameter above.