for each step, is determined by the energy released in the step. This means the *reduction* in rope tension when the new $q\bar{q}$ pair is produced. We will therefore treat one step in the breakup of the rope, as the breakup of an individual string, with a modified effective string tension.

### Effects on particle ratios

As discussed above, strangeness and baryon production is in the [P]{} implementation determined by a set of phenomenological parameters, some of which represent the relative tunneling probabilities for different quarks and diquarks. Let the modification of the string tension be given by a simple scaling with an enhancement factor $h$, such that $\kappa \mapsto
\kapeff = h\kappa$. The result in [eq. (\[eq:schwinger\])]{} or [(\[eq:schwinger2\])]{} then implies that the $s/u$ ratio (called $\rho$), will be modified by the scaling relation $$\rho \mapsto \tilde{\rho} = \rho^{1/h}.
\label{eq:rhoscaling}$$

Baryon production in the popcorn model is somewhat more complicated. Here we will assume that the production of the vacuum fluctuation giving the first new pair in [figure [\[fig:popcorn\]]{}]{}b is insensitive to the string tension[^6], while the production of the second pair shown in [figure [\[fig:popcorn\]]{}]{}c, where the string breaks, is the result of a tunneling process. This means 