Soft QCD Measurements in the Forward Direction with the LHCb Experiment

Soft QCD studies are an important ingredient of understanding the underlying event in proton-proton collisions. The LHCb detector, designed as a forward spectrometer for B physics, has proven its high potential of contributing to key analyses in minimum bias physics. The excellent tracking and particle identification system of LHCb allow measurements in the very forward direction, which are complementary to those from the other LHC experiments. This paper summarizes an analysis of the production cross-section for phi at root s = 7TeV. Further, the prompt (Lambda) over bar Lambda, (Lambda) over bar /K-S(0) and (p) over bar /p ratios are presented at root s = 900GeV and 7TeV as a probe of baryon suppression and baryon transport. The results are compared to predictions from event generators.