Statistical Hadronization Models (SHMs) have successfully calculated hadronic particle yields to over nine orders of magnitude in high energy collisions of heavy ions and elementary particles at both RHIC and the LHC. Assuming a thermally equilibrated system, experimental final state particle yields from collisions measured by the STAR and ALICE detectors serve as anchors for the determination of common freeze-out parameters – namely, the chemical freeze-out temperature and the baryon chemical potential – in the QCD phase diagram through thermal fits within the SHM framework. In this talk, I will provide a brief overview of the SHM and discuss the various statistical ensembles one may use in said framework. I will show recent calculations of freeze-out parameters from heavy-ion collisions across a wide energy range at both STAR and ALICE as well as across various system sizes at top LHC energies – focusing on the possibility of a flavor-dependent chemical freeze-out. I will conclude by introducing future prospects addressed by the versatility of the SHM, like the inclusion of light and hypernuclei as well as expansion of the model into the charm sector.
Host: Sierra Weyhmiller