We report differential cross sections for the production of D*(2010) produced in 500 GeV/c pi^- nucleon interactions from experiment E791 at Fermilab, as functions of Feynman-x (x_F) and transverse momentum squared (p_T^2). We also report the D* +/- charge asymmetry and spin-density matrix elements as functions of these variables. Investigation of the spin-density matrix elements shows no evidence of polarization. The average values of the spin alignment are \eta= 0.01 +- 0.02 and -0.01 +- 0.02 for leading and non-leading particles, respectively.
Acceptance corrected differential cross sections for D*+- production as a function of XL, Feynman X.
Acceptance corected differential cross sections for D*+- production as a function of PT**2.
Charge production asymmetry as a function of Feynman X.
A leading charm meson is one with longitudinal momentum fraction, xF>0, whose light quark (or antiquark) is of the same type as one of the quarks in the beam particles. We report on the production asymmetry, A=[σ(leading-σ(nonleading)]/[σ(leading)+σ(nonleading)] as a function of xF. The data consist of 1500 fully reconstructed D± and D*± decays in Fermilab experiment E 769. We find a significant asymmetry for the production of charm quarks is not expected in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.
Asymmetry as function of XL.
Asymmetry as function of PT**2.
We present total and differential cross sections for charm mesons produced in 600 GeV/ c π - emulsion interactions. Fits to d 2 σ / dx F dp T 2 ∞ (1−| x F |) n exp (- bp T 2 ) for 676 electronically reconstructed D mesons with x F >0 give n =4.25±0.24 ( stat .)±0.23 ( syst .) and b =0.76±0.03±0.03 ( GeV / c ) -2 . The total inclusive D + and D 0 cross sections are σ ( π - N → D ± ; x F >0) = 8.66±0.46±1.96 μb nucleon and σ(π - N→D 0 D 0 ; x F >0)=22.05±1.37±4.82μb nucleonk, where a linear dependence on the mean atomic weight of the target is assumed. These results are compared to next-to-leading order QCD predictions.
Linear A-dependence. Different modes of the charm mesons detection were used (see text for detail). The differential cross section is fitted by the equation : D2(SIG)/D(XL)/D(PT**2) = CONST*(1-XL)**POWER*EXP(-SLOPE*PT**2).
Linear A-dependence.