Speaker
Description
The properties of dense astrophysical objects, such as neutron stars, are governed by the equation of state of nuclear matter. At the extreme baryon densities reached in their cores, hyperons are expected to appear as energetically favorable degrees of freedom. Constraining hyperon–nucleon interactions is therefore essential for accurate astrophysical modeling. However, in the case of the $\Sigma$N interaction, the experimental information scarce.
In this contribution, unprecedented precision results on $\Sigma^-$p and $\Sigma^+$p correlations measured by ALICE in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6~\mathrm{TeV}$ during the LHC Run 3 are presented. These measurements are made possible thanks to the excellent tracking capabilities of the new Inner Tracking System, which allows the reconstruction of charged $\Sigma$ hyperons via their decay to a neutral particle and a charged daughter, identified by the characteristic kink topology of the decay.
The measured correlation functions provide direct access to the strong interaction effects, enabling comparisons with different theoretical interaction potentials. These new results complement the previous $\Sigma^+$p femtoscopic measurements performed by ALICE in Run 2, and pave the way for improved constraints on the strength and isospin dependence of the $\Sigma$N interaction, offering essential insights for the equation of state of dense nuclear matter.
