Studying charm hadronisation into baryons with azimuthal correlations of $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ with charged particles in pp collisions at $\mathbf{\sqrt{\it s} = 13}$ TeV

Abstract

The distribution of angular correlations between prompt charm hadrons and primary charged particles in pp collisions is sensitive to the charm-quark hadronisation process. In this letter, charm-baryon correlations are measured for the first time by studying the azimuthal-angle difference between charged particles and prompt $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ baryons produced in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV, with the ALICE detector. $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$ baryons are reconstructed at midrapidity ($|y| < 0.5$) in the transverse-momentum interval $3 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$, and correlated with charged particles with $p_{\rm T} > 0.3$ GeV/$c$ and pseudorapidity $|\eta| < 0.8$. For $3< p_{\rm T}^{\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+},{\rm D}} <5$ GeV/$c$, the comparison with published measurements of D-meson and charged-particle correlations in the same collision system hints at a larger number of low-momentum particles associated with $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$-baryon triggers than with D-meson triggers, both in the collinear and opposite directions with respect to the trigger particle. These differences can be quantified by the comparison of the properties of the near- and away-side correlation peaks, and are not reproduced by predictions of various Monte Carlo event generators, generally underpredicting the associated particle yields at $p_{\rm T}^{\rm assoc}<1$ GeV/$c$. This tension between $\Lambda_{\rm c}^{+}$-baryon and D-meson associated peak yields could suggest a modified fragmentation of the charm quark, or a different hadronisation process, when a charm baryon is produced in the final state.