Soft Hadron Ratios at the LHC

Abstract

High precision soft hadron abundance data produced in relativistic nuclear collisions at LHC at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}\le 5500$ GeV will become available beginning in 2007/8. We explore, within the statistical hadronization model, how these results can help us understand the properties of the deconfined quark--gluon phase at its breakup. We make assumptions about the physical properties of the fireball and obtain particle production predictions. Then, we develop a strategy to measure parameters of interest, such as strangeness occupancy $\gamma_s$, chemical potentials $\mu_{\rm B}$ and $\mu_{\rm S}$.