We have studied D* production mechanisms using data from a photoproduction experiment at the Fermilab Tagged Photon Spectrometer. A large sample of charged D*’s was selected via the clean signature of the cascade decay D*→D0π+ and subsequently D0→K−π+ or D0→K−π+π0. The cross section for the process γp→(D*++anything)p at an average energy of 105 GeV was measured to be 88±32 nb. Only (11±7)% of D*’s were found to be consistent with being accompanied solely by a D¯* or a D¯; the remaining events contain additional particles. The distribution of the production angle of the D* in the photon-fragmentation-system center of mass is strongly anisotropic and consistent with the form f(θ*)=cos4θ*. We set a limit on the associated-production-process cross section σ(γp→(D¯*−+anything)Λc) x)<60 nb (90% C.L.).
Inelastic and elastic $J/\psi$ photoproduction on hydrogen are investigated at a mean energy of 105 GeV. The inelastic cross section with $E_{\psi} / E_{\gamma}$ < 0.9 is significantly lower than the corresponding result for muoproduction on iron targets, but is consistent with a second-order perturbative QCD calculation.
We report on the study of charm baryons decaying to Λ c + : Λ c ★+ (2625) → Λ c + π + π − , Λ c ★+ (2593) → Λ c + π + π − , Σ c 0 → Λ c + π − and Σ c ++ → Λ c + π + . We present a confirmation of the state Λ c ∗+ (2593) and determine its mass difference to be M ( Λ c ★+ (2593)) − M ( Λ c + ) = 309.2 ± 0.7 ± 0.3 MeV/ c 2 . We determine the lower limit on the resonant branching ratio to be BR (Λ c ★+ (2593) → Σ c π ± Λ c ★+ (2593) → Λ c + π + π − ) > 0.51 (90% c.l.). We also measure the mass differences M ( Σ c 0 ) − M ( Λ c + ) = 166.6±0.5±0.6 MeV/ c 2 and M ( Σ c ++ ) − M ( Λ c + ) = 167.6±0.6±0.6 MeV/ c 2 . Finally, we measure the relative photoproduction cross sections for Λ c ★+ and Σ c with respect to the (inclusive) photoproduction cross section for Λ c + .
Quasireal photons exchanged in relativistic heavy ion interactions are powerful probes of the gluonic structure of nuclei. The coherent J/$\psi$ photoproduction cross section in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions is measured as a function of photon-nucleus center-of-mass energies per nucleon (W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$), over a wide range of 40 $\lt$ W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$$\lt$ 400 GeV. Results are obtained using data at the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.52 nb$^{-1}$. The cross section is observed to rise rapidly at low W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$, and plateau above W$^\text{Pb}_{\gamma\text{N}}$$\approx$ 40 GeV, up to 400 GeV, a new regime of small Bjorken-$x$ ($\approx$ 6 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$) gluons being probed in a heavy nucleus. The observed energy dependence is not predicted by current quantum chromodynamic models.