Evidence of partonic collectivity in OO collisions through the measurement of $φ$, K$^0_{\rm S}$, and $Λ$ elliptic flow
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ALICE Collaboration · arXiv: 2610.36237v1 · Summary page
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Small nuclear collisions show a collective pattern
Do relatively small nuclear collisions produce matter whose quarks move collectively before becoming ordinary hadrons? ALICE addresses that question by measuring how phi mesons, neutral kaons and Lambda baryons emerge in different directions after oxygen nuclei collide. At low transverse momentum, the directional pattern follows particle mass, as expected when a common expansion pushes heavier particles toward higher momentum.
At intermediate transverse momentum, the pattern instead separates baryons from mesons. Crucially, the phi follows the lighter kaon rather than the similarly massive Lambda. That behavior disfavors an explanation based purely on mass and supports hadron formation through recombination of collectively flowing quarks. The preprint strengthens the connection between small collision systems and the collective behavior already seen in heavy nuclear collisions, without making that interpretation unique.
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