We report evidence for the Cabibbo-suppressed decay of the charm baryon Λ c + into the final state pK − K + . The analysis is performed on data collected by high energy photoproduction experiment E687 during the 1990–1991 Fermilab fixed target run. The branching ratio of the decay Λ c + → pK − K + relative to the non-suppressed Λ c + → pK − π + is measured to be BR( pK − K + / pK − π + ) = 0.096 ± 0.029 ± 0.010. The upper limit of the decay into pø relative to the inclusive pK − K + decay is measured to be BR( pø / pK − K + < 58% at the 90% confidence level.
We report measurements of charm particle production asymmetries from the Fermilab photoproduction experiment E687. An asymmetry in the rate of production of charm versus anticharm particles is expected to arise primarily from fragmentation effects. We observe statistically significant asymmetries in the photoproduction of D + , D ∗+ and D 0 mesons and find small (but statistically weak) asymmetries in the production of the D s + meson and the Λ c + baryon. Our inclusive photoproduction asymmetries are compared to predictions from nonperturbative models of charm quark fragmentation.
Using a silicon-microstrip detector array to identify secondary vertices occurring downstream of a short platinum target, we have searched for the decay D0→μ+μ−. Normalized relative to the J/ψ→μ+μ− signal observed in the same data sample, for a 3.25-mm minimum decay distance our branching-ratio sensitivity is (4.8±1.4)×10−6 per event, and after background subtraction we observe -4.1±4.8 events. Using the statistical approach advocated by the Particle Data Group, we obtain a limit B(D0→μ+μ−)<3.1×10−5 at 90% confidence, confirming with a different technique the limit previously obtained by Louis et al. The interpretation of the upper limit involves complex statistical issues; we present another approach which is more suitable for combining the results of different experiments.
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