Exploring hadronization at the LHC: Investigating strange particles in various collision systems and energies with ALICE

Strange hadrons serve as a distinctive tool for investigating hadronization. Initially proposed as an indicator of quark-gluon plasma formation in heavy-ion collisions, 1 their production yield now plays a pivotal role in understanding the evolution of a colored system into the observed gas of mesons and baryons, spanning both large and small collision systems. This exploration gained momentum following the groundbreaking observation by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC that strange hadron yields scale with charged-particle multiplicity density, irrespective of the collision system or center-of-mass energy. 2 Furthermore, data indicate that even in elementary interactions, the transverse momentum spectra are influenced by partonic collectivity, even in scenarios where only a few particles are generated at midrapidity. 3 In these proceedings, a comprehensive overview of the latest findings in the study of strange-hadron production at the LHC will be presented, with a particular emphasis on discussing the current status and future prospects of this field in light of the LHC Run 3 data taking campaign.