The production of neutrons carrying at least 20% of the proton beam energy ($\xl > 0.2$) in $e^+p$ collisions has been studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA for a wide range of $Q^2$, the photon virtuality, from photoproduction to deep inelastic scattering. The neutron-tagged cross section, $e p\to e' X n$, is measured relative to the inclusive cross section, $e p\to e' X$, thereby reducing the systematic uncertainties. For $\xl >$ 0.3, the rate of neutrons in photoproduction is about half of that measured in hadroproduction, which constitutes a clear breaking of factorisation. There is about a 20% rise in the neutron rate between photoproduction and deep inelastic scattering, which may be attributed to absorptive rescattering in the $\gamma p$ system. For $0.64 < \xl < 0.82$, the rate of neutrons is almost independent of the Bjorken scaling variable $x$ and $Q^2$. However, at lower and higher $\xl$ values, there is a clear but weak dependence on these variables, thus demonstrating the breaking of limiting fragmentation. The neutron-tagged structure function, ${{F}^{\rm\tiny LN(3)}_2}(x,Q^2,\xl)$, rises at low values of $x$ in a way similar to that of the inclusive \ff of the proton. The total $\gamma \pi$ cross section and the structure function of the pion, $F^{\pi}_2(x_\pi,Q^2)$ where $x_\pi = x/(1-\xl)$, have been determined using a one-pion-exchange model, up to uncertainties in the normalisation due to the poorly understood pion flux. At fixed $Q^2$, $F^{\pi}_2$ has approximately the same $x$ dependence as $F_2$ of the proton.
Inclusive photoproduction of $\dspm$ in ep collisions at HERA has been measured with the ZEUS detector for photon-proton centre of mass energies in the range \linebreak \wrang and photon virtuality Q~2 < 4 \g2. The cross section $\sigma_{ep \to \ds X} $ integrated over the kinematic region \ptrangand \etarang is {\xsecs}. Differential cross sections as functions of $p_{\perp}~{\ds}$, $\eta~{\ds}$ and W are given. The data are compared with two next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions. For a calculation using a massive charm scheme the predicted cross sections are smaller than the measured ones. A recent calculation using a massless charm scheme is in agreement with the data.
We report the first observation of charmed mesons with the ZEUS detector at HERA using the decay channel ${\rm D}~{*+}\rightarrow (\Do \rightarrow {\rm K}~-\pi~+)\pi~+$ (+ c.c.). Clear signals in the mass difference $\Delta M$=$M$(D$~*$)--$M$(D$~0)$ as well as in the $M(K\pi)$ distribution at the D$~0$ mass are found. The $ep$ cross section for inclusive \DSpm\ production with $Q~2<4\GeV~2$ in the $\gamma p$ centre-of-mass energy range $115 < W < 275$ \GeV\ has been determined to be $(32 \pm 7~{+4}_{-7} )$ nb in the kinematic region \mbox{\{$p_T(\DS)\geq $ 1.7 \,\GeV, $|\eta(\DS)| < 1.5 $\}}. Ex\-tra\-po\-la\-ting outside this region, assuming a mass of the charm quark of 1.5 \GeV, we estimate the $ep$ charm cross section to be $\sigma(e p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X ) = (0.45 \pm 0.11~{+0.37}_{-0.22}) \, \mu {\rm b} $ at \mbox{$\sqrt{s} = 296$}\GeV\ and $\langle W \rangle = 198$ \GeV. The average $\gamma p$ charm cross section \mbox{$\sigma(\gamma p \rightarrow c \bar{c}X )$} is found to be \mbox{$(6.3 \pm 2.2~{+6.3}_{-3.0}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 163$ \GeV\ and \mbox{$(16.9 \pm 5.2~{+13.9}_{-8.5}) \, \mu {\rm b} $} at $\langle W \rangle = 243$ \GeV. The increase of the total charm photoproduction cross section by one order of magnitude with respect to low energy data experiments is well described by QCD NLO calculations using singular gluon distributions in the proton.
We have searched for the production of a selectron and a squark in $e^+p$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 300 GeV using the ZEUS detector at HERA. The selectron and squark are sought in the direct decay into the lightest neutralino in the framework of supersymmetric extensions to the Standard Model which conserve R-parity. No evidence for the production of supersymmetric particles has been found in a data sample corresponding to 46.6~pb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity. We express upper limits on the product of the cross section times the decay branching ratios as excluded regions in the parameter space of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.
A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb−1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly.
Cross sections for the production of two isolated muons up to high di-muon masses are measured in ep collisions at HERA with the H1 detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 71 pb^-1 at a centre of mass energy of sqrt{s} = 319 GeV. The results are in good agreement with Standard Model predictions, the dominant process being photon-photon interactions. Additional muons or electrons are searched for in events with two high transverse momentum muons using the full data sample corresponding to 114 pb^-1, where data at sqrt{s} = 301 GeV and sqrt{s} = 319 GeV are combined. Both the di-lepton sample and the tri-lepton sample agree well with the predictions.
Double-tag events in two-photon collisions are studied using the L3 detector at LEP centre-of-mass energies from root(s)=189 GeV to 209 GeV. The cross sections of the e+e- -> e+e- hadrons and gamma*gamma* -> hadrons processes are measured as a function of the photon virtualities, Q1^2 and Q2^2, of the two-photon mass, W_gammagamma, and of the variable Y=ln(W_gammagamma^2/(Q1 Q2)), for an average photon virtuality <Q2> = 16 GeV2. The results are in agreement with next-to-leading order calculations for the process gamma*gamma* -> q qbar in the interval 2 <= Y <= 5. An excess is observed in the interval 5 < Y <= 7, corresponding to W_gammagamma greater than 40 GeV . This may be interpreted as a sign of resolved photon QCD processes or the onset of BFKL phenomena.
Inclusive D^{*+-} production in two-photon collisions is studied with the L3 detector at LEP, using 683 pb^{-1} of data collected at centre-of-mass energies from 183 to 208 GeV. Differential cross sections are determined as functions of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of the D^{*+-} mesons in the kinematic region 1 GeV < P_T < 12 GeV and |eta| < 1.4. The cross sections sigma(e^+e^- -> e^+e^-D^{*+-}X) in this kinematical region is measured and the sigma(e^+e^- -> e^+e^- cc{bar}X) cross section is derived. The measurements are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations.
The reaction e+e- -> e+e- gamma* gamma* -> e+e- hadrons for quasi-real photons is studied using data from root(s) = 183 GeV up to 202 GeV. Results on the total cross sections sigma(e+e- -> e+e- hadrons) and sigma(+e- gamma* gamma* -> e+e- hadrons) are given for the two-photon centre-of-mass energies 5 GeV < Wgammagamma < 185 GeV. The total cross section of two real photons is described by a Regge parametrisation. We observe a steeper rise with the two-photon centre-of-mass energy as compared to the hadron-hadron and the photon-proton cross sections. The data are also compared to the expectations of different theoretical models.
The cross section of charm production in γγ collisions σ(e + e − →e + e − c c ̄ X) is measured at LEP with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies from 91 GeV to 183 GeV. Charmed hadrons are identified by electrons and muons from semileptonic decays. The direct process γγ→c c ̄ is found to be insufficient to describe the data. The measured cross section values and event distributions require contributions from resolved processes, which are sensitive to the gluon density in the photon.
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