Recent ALICE results on charm production and hadronisation

Abstract

Studies on the production of open charm hadrons are of paramount importance to investigate the charm-quark hadronisation mechanisms at the LHC, particularly through the evolution of the production ratio between different charm-hadron species. Measurements performed in pp and p--Pb collisions at the LHC have revealed unexpected features, qualitatively similar to what observed in larger systems and, in the charm sector, not in line with the expectations based on previous measurements from $\rm e^{+}e^{-}$ colliders and in ep collisions. These results suggest that charm fragmentation fractions might not be universal and that the baryon-to-meson ratio depends on the collision system. Model calculations that better reproduce the $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}/{\rm D}^{0}$ ratio in pp collisions expect a significant contribution to $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ yield from decays of heavier charm-baryon states, rely on hadronisation via recombination mechanisms, or are based on new colour reconnection topologies. In this contribution, the most recent results on open heavy-flavour production in pp and Pb--Pb collisions measured by the ALICE Collaboration will be discussed. Emphasis will be given to the discussion of the impact of these studies on our understanding of the hadronisation processes.