A Simple Approach to Describe Hadron Production Rates in Inelastic pp and $$ p\bar p $$ Collisions

Abstract

We show that the production rates of light-flavoured mesons and baryons in inelastic pp and pp collisions can be described by a simple approach used to describe data obtained in e + e − annihilation. Based on the idea of string fragmentation, the approach describes the production rates of light-flavoured mesons and baryons originating from fragmentation in terms of the spin, the binding energy of the particle, and a strangeness suppression factor. Apart from a normalization factor and the additional sea quark contribution in inelastic pp and pp collisions, pp, pp and e + e − data at various centre-of-mass energies are described simultaneously.