Neutral to charged kaon yield fluctuations in Pb – Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

We present the first measurement of event-by-event fluctuations in the kaon sector in Pb – Pb collisions at s _NN=2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The robust fluctuation correlator ν _dyn is used to evaluate the magnitude of fluctuations of the relative yields of neutral and charged kaons, as well as the relative yields of charged kaons, as a function of collision centrality and selected kinematic ranges. While the correlator ν _dyn[K ⁺,K ⁻] exhibits a scaling approximately in inverse proportion of the charged particle multiplicity, ν _dyn[K _S ⁰,K ^±] features a significant deviation from such scaling. Within uncertainties, the value of ν _dyn[K _S ⁰,K ^±] is independent of the selected transverse momentum interval, while it exhibits a pseudorapidity dependence. The results are compared with HIJING, AMPT and EPOS–LHC predictions, and are further discussed in the context of the possible production of disoriented chiral condensates in central Pb – Pb collisions.