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Title: Production of charm mesons by high-energy neutrons

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5075647

The charmed mesons ED{sup *{plus minus}}, D{sup 0}, and D{sub s}{sup {plus minus}} have been observed in neutron-nucleus collisions at the FNAL Tevatron. A sample of 134 {plus minus} 19 events was investigated in the decay mode D{sup *{plus minus}} {yields} D{sup 0} {pi}{sup {plus minus}} with the subsequent decay mode D{sup 0} {yields} K{sup +}K{sup {minus}}. The cross section per nucleon for D{sup *}{plus minus}, at most probable energy {radical}s = 35 GeV, was measured to be: d{sigma}(xf)/dxf {center dot} BR = 2.11 {plus minus} .43({plus minus}63){mu}b/nucleon for 0.0 < x{sub f} < 0.14 (x{sub f} = .07). The branching ratio (BR) is defined as: BR {identical to} BR(D{sup *} {yields} D{sub {pi}}) {times} BR(D {yields} K{sup +}K{sup {minus}}). The dependence of the cross section per nucleus on number of nucleons in the target was fit to a form A{sup {alpha}} and it was found that {alpha} = .96 {plus minus} .17. A sample of 64 {plus minus} 16 D{sub s}{sup {plus minus}} events was investigated for the decay D{sub s}{sup {plus minus}} {yields} {phi}{pi}{sup {plus minus}}. The differential cross section for D{sub s}{sup {plus minus}} production averaged over the particle and antiparticle states is: BR {center dot} {1/2} d{sigma}D{sub s}{sup +}/dxf + d{sigma}(D{sub s}{sup {minus}}/dxf) = 2.8 {plus minus} 0.80 {plus minus} .86 {mu}b/nucleon at x{sub f} = 0.175 where the first error is statistical and the second error is systematic. The branching fraction is defined as BR {identical to} BR(D{sub s} {yields} {phi}{pi}), and a linear A dependence was assumed.

Research Organization:
Illinois Univ., Urbana, IL (USA)
OSTI ID:
5075647
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English