Testing the system size dependence of hydrodynamical expansion and thermal particle production with π, K, p, and φ in Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions with ALICE

Abstract

We present new results on transverse momentum spectra, integrated yields, and mean transverse momenta of pions, kaons, and protons, as well as of phi-mesons for various centrality classes measured in Pb-Pb and Xe-Xe collisions at the LHC. This unique set of data allows us to investigate bulk particle production for very different systems at similar multiplicities. The chemical and kinetic freeze-out parameters are extracted via statistical-thermal and combined blast-wave fits to the data in heavy-ion collisions and are compared to results obtained in pp and p-Pb collisions at similar multiplicities. The evolution of collective-like effects from pp and p-Pb collisions to Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb collisions is further investigated by detailed comparisons to predictions from models.