Measurement of Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries for J/psi Production in Polarized p+p Collisions at s = 200 GeV

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review D

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.82.112008· OSTI ID:1001727

Adare, A ^[1]; Awes, Terry C ^[2]; Cianciolo, Vince ^[2]; Efremenko, Yuri ^[3]; Enokizono, Akitomo ^[4]; Read, Jr, Kenneth F ^[2]; Silvermyr, David O ^[2]; Sorensen, Soren P ^[5]; Stankus, Paul W ^[2]

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1. University of Colorado, Boulder
2. ORNL
3. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) & Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
4. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
5. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)

We report the first measurement of transverse single-spin asymmetries in J/{Psi} production from transversely polarized p+p collisions at {radical}s = 200 GeV with data taken by the PHENIX experiment in 2006 and 2008. The measurement was performed over the rapidity ranges 1.2 < |y| < 2.2 and |y| < 0.35 for transverse momenta up to 6 GeV/c. J/{Psi} production at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider is dominated by processes involving initial-state gluons, and transverse single-spin asymmetries of the J/{Psi} can provide access to gluon dynamics within the nucleon. Such asymmetries may also shed light on the long-standing question in QCD of the J/{Psi} production mechanism. Asymmetries were obtained as a function of J/{Psi} transverse momentum and Feynman-x, with a value of -0.086 {+-} 0.026{sup stat} {+-} 0.003{sup syst} in the forward region. This result suggests possible nonzero trigluon correlation functions in transversely polarized protons and, if well defined in this reaction, a nonzero gluon Sivers distribution function.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1001727
• Journal Information: Physical Review D, Journal Name: Physical Review D Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 82; ISSN 1550-2368; ISSN 1550-7998
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
GLUONS
HEAVY IONS
PARTICLE RAPIDITY
PRODUCTION
PROTONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
TRANSVERSE MOMENTUM