On the possibility of q-scaling in high energy production processes

Abstract

It has been noticed recently that transverse momenta (p_T) distributions observed in high energy production processes exhibit remarkably universal scaling behaviour. This is the case when a suitable variable replaces the usual p_T. On the other hand, it is also widely known that transverse momentum distributions in general follow a power-like Tsallis distribution, rather than an exponential Boltzmann-Gibbs, with a (generally energy dependent) nonextensivity parameter q. Here we show that it is possible to choose a suitable variable such that all the data can be fitted by the same Tsallis distribution (with the same, energy independent value of the q-parameter). Thus they exhibit q-scaling.

Comments: Final version, accepted by J.Phys. G