Λ production in Ar+Sc collisions at 40 A GeV/c in NA61/SHINE experiment at CERN/SPS

NA61/SHINE is a fixed target experiment operating at the CERN Super-Proton-Synchrotron (SPS). The NA61/SHINE Collaboration studies properties of hadron production in nucleus-nucleus collisions. The primary aim is to uncover features of the phase transition between confined matter and quark gluon plasma. Within the current program data on p+p, Be+Be, Ar+Sc, Xe+La and Pb+Pb collisions at beam momenta in the range 13 A-150 A GeV/c has been recorded. Strangeness enhancement is one of the earliest signatures of the formation of a deconfined QGP. Strange particles are of particular interest in hadronic collisions since they carry a new quantum number not present in the colliding nuclei. The study of Λ hyperons allows to study simultaneously strangeness production and the effect of net baryon density. In this contribution, the status of Λ production in Ar+Sc collisions is presented and discussed as obtained from the recent data taken by NA61/SHINE collaboration at 40 A GeV/c.