The ϕ meson in dense matter from theory and experiment
We begin by summarizing a study of the ϕ N correlation function, motivated by recent femtoscopy measurements reported by the ALICE Collaboration. The analysis is carried out within a hadronic effective Lagrangian framework incorporating coupled-channel dynamics, and yields a quantitative description of the experimental data. We then present an overview of results from transport-model simulations of 12 GeV pA reactions, aimed at investigating the behavior of the ϕ meson in nuclear matter. Particular emphasis is placed on the underlying production mechanisms of the ϕ meson and their impact on the resulting dilepton spectra. Finally, QCD sum rule predictions on the modifications of the two independent polariation modes of the ϕ meson, which could be studied at the J-PARC E16 and/or E88 experiments, will also be discussed.