Abstract:
The $\bar{\Omega}/\Omega$ ratio originating
from string
decays is predicted to be larger than unity
in proton proton
interactions at SPS energies ($E_{\rm
lab}$=160 GeV). The
anti-omega dominance increases with
decreasing beam energy.
This surprising behavior is caused by the
combinatorics of
quark-antiquark production in small and
low-mass strings.
Since this behavior is not found in a statistical
description of hadron production in proton proton
collisions, it may serve as a key observable
to probe the
hadronization mechanism in such collisions.