Probing the hadronic phase with resonances of different lifetimes in Pb-Pb collisions with ALICE

Abstract

The ALICE experiment has measured the production of a rich set of hadronic resonances, such as $ρ(770)^{0}$, ${\rm K}^{\ast}(892)^{0}$, $ϕ$(1020), $Σ^{\pm}$(1385), $Λ(1520)$ and $Ξ^{\ast 0}$ in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at various energies at the LHC. A comprehensive overview and the latest results are presented in this paper. Special focus is given to the role of hadronic resonances for the study of final-state effects in high-energy collisions. In particular, the measurement of resonance production in heavy-ion collisions has the capability to provide insight into the existence of a prolonged hadronic phase after hadronisation. The observation of the suppression of the production of $Λ(1520)$ resonance in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV adds further support to the existence of such a dense hadronic phase, as already evidenced by the ratios ${\rm K}^{\ast}(892)^{0}$/${\rm K}$ and $ρ(770)^{0}$/$π$.