Phenomenology of Strangeness enhancement in heavy ion collisions

Abstract

We give an overview of the phenomenology of strangeness enhancement in heavy ion collisions, within the paradigm of the statistical model of particle production. We argue that, while strangeness enhancement data is suggestive of a phase transition, the mechanism triggering enhancement is still elusive. We study the feasibility to constrain this mechanism by determining the scaling variable of strangeness enhancement. We further argue that to test the applicability of the statistical model generally, and to confirm our interpretation of the statistical physics responsible for strangeness enhancement, the scaling of strange particle fluctuations ($K/\pi$ and other particles) w.r.t. yields has to be explored.