Evidence for modification of $b$ quark hadronization in high-multiplicity $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV

The production rate of B_{s}^{0} mesons relative to B^{0} mesons is measured by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[s]=13  TeV over the forward rapidity interval 2<4.5 as a function of the charged particle multiplicity measured in the event. Evidence at the 3.4σ level is found for an increase of the ratio of B_{s}^{0} to B^{0} cross sections with multiplicity at transverse momenta below 6  GeV/c, with no significant multiplicity dependence at higher transverse momentum. Comparison with data from e^{+}e^{-} collisions implies that the density of the hadronic medium may affect the production rates of B mesons. This is qualitatively consistent with the emergence of quark coalescence as an additional hadronization mechanism in high-multiplicity collisions.