Related paper Strange particle production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC Background evaluation for the $\phi$ corresponding to the $\pT$ bin [1.0-1.5]$ $GeV/c The inset shows the $\phi$ signal after background subtraction The vertical arrows indicate the nominal mass value from PDG.[png] [pdf]