The production of D+- and D0 mesons has been measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 133.6 pb-1. The measurements cover the kinematic range 5 < Q^2 < 1000 GeV^2, 0.02 < y < 0.7, 1.5 < p_T^D < 15 GeV and eta^D < 1.6. Combinatorial background to the D meson signals is reduced by using the ZEUS microvertex detector to reconstruct displaced secondary vertices. Production cross sections are compared with the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD which is found to describe the data well. Measurements are extrapolated to the full kinematic phase space in order to obtain the open-charm contribution, F2^ccbar, to the proton structure function, F2.
H1 and ZEUS have published single-differential cross sections for inclusive D^{*\pm}-meson production in deep-inelastic ep scattering at HERA from their respective final data sets. These cross sections are combined in the common visible phase-space region of photon virtuality Q2 > 5 GeV2, electron inelasticity 0.02 < y < 0.7 and the D^{*\pm} meson's transverse momentum pT (D^*) > 1.5 GeV and pseudorapidity |eta(D^*)| < 1.5. The combination procedure takes into account all correlations, yielding significantly reduced experimental uncertainties. Double-differential cross sections d2s /dQ2dy are combined with earlier D^{*\pm} data, extending the kinematic range down to Q2 > 1.5 GeV2. Perturbative next-to-leadingorder QCD predictions are compared to the results.
High transverse momentum pi0-mesons have been measured with the H1 detector at HERA in deep-inelastic ep scattering events at low Bjorken-x, down to x <~ 4.10^{-5}. The measurement is performed in a region of small angles with respect to the proton remnant in the laboratory frame of reference, namely the forward region, and corresponds to central rapidity in the centre of mass system of the virtual photon and proton. This region is expected to be particularly sensitive to QCD effects in hadronic final states. Differential cross-sections for inclusive pi0-meson production are presented as a function of Bjorken-x and the four-momentum transfer Q^2, and as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity. A recent numerical BFKL calculation and predictions from QCD models based on DGLAP parton evolution are compared with the data.
The inclusive production of D^{*+-}(2010) mesons in deep-inelastic scattering is studied with the H1 detector at HERA. In the kinematic region 1<Q^2<100 GeV^2 and 0.05<y<0.7 an e^+p cross section for inclusive D^(*+-) meson production of 8.50+- 0.42 (stat.)^(+1.21)_(-1.00) (syst.) nb is measured in the visible range p_(tD^*)>1.5 GeV and |\eta_(D^*)|<1.5. Single and double differential inclusive D^(*+-) meson cross sections are compared to perturbative QCD calculations in two different evolution schemes. The charm contribution to the proton structure, F_2^c(x,Q^2), is determined by extrapolating the visible charm cross section to the full phase space. This contribution is found to rise from about 10% at Q^2 = 1.5 GeV^2 to more than 25% at Q^2 = 60 GeV^2 corresponding to x values ranging from 5*10^(-5) to 3*10^(-3)$.
The production of neutral strange hadrons is investigated using deep-inelastic scattering events measured with the H1 detector at HERA. The measurements are made in the phase space defined by the negative four-momentum transfer squared of the photon 2 < Q^2 < 100 GeV^2 and the inelasticity 0.1 < y < 0.6. The K_s and Lambda production cross sections and their ratios are determined. K_s production is compared to the production of charged particles in the same region of phase space. The Lambda - anti-Lambda asymmetry is also measured and found to be consistent with zero. Predictions of leading order Monte Carlo programs are compared to the data.
Inclusive D* production is measured in deep-inelastic ep scattering at HERA with the H1 detector. In addition, the production of dijets in events with a D* meson is investigated. The analysis covers values of photon virtuality 2< Q^2 <=100 GeV^2 and of inelasticity 0.05<= y <= 0.7. Differential cross sections are measured as a function of Q^2 and x and of various D* meson and jet observables. Within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties all measured cross sections are found to be adequately described by next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD calculations, based on the photon-gluon fusion process and DGLAP evolution, without the need for an additional resolved component of the photon beyond what is included at NLO. A reasonable description of the data is also achieved by a prediction based on the CCFM evolution of partons involving the k_T-unintegrated gluon distribution of the proton.
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