Simple predictive model for flavor production in hadronization

Abstract

We have found a simple powerful Ansatz, interpreting the Lund symmetric-fragmentation function as a universal production density, which predicts multiplicities and momentum and ${P}_{T}^{2}$ distributions of the many meson and baryon flavors observed in ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ collisions at ${E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.\mathrm{\ensuremath{\simeq}}30}$ GeV almost perfectly with only two ``natural'' parameters of the Lund symmetric-fragmentation function. The model depends only on hadron masses and not on quark-level suppression factors such as s/u or qq/q. At a minimum, it provides an easy basis for the prediction of particle production rates and distributions, and may provide insight into the actual production mechanism.