Resonant and Continuum Production of Massive Muon Pairs in 400-GeV Proton - Nucleus Collisions

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1406590· OSTI ID:1406590

Kaplan, Daniel M. ^[1]

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1. State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY (United States)

An experiment to measure the yield of muon pairs above 5 GeV mass in 400 GeV proton-nucleus collisions is described in detail. Apparatus used, running conditions, backgrounds and corrections to the data are discussed. Results are presented and interpreted in terms of the quark-parton model and quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The production of a new family of narrow $$\mu^+ \mu^-$$ resonances, dubbed T, is observed, Dependence of the muon-pair cross-section on nucleon number, mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity is presented, and differences in the production dynamics of the resonances and the continuum are emphasized. Various possible interpretations of the Tare discussed, and the most likely one - that the T's are bound states of a new, heavy, charge - 1/3 quark with its antiquark - is elucidated, The continuum is interpreted in terms of the parton annihilation model of Drell and Yan modified by QCD corrections. Momentum distributions of antiquarks in the nucleon are extracted. The problem of large muon pair transverse momentum is discussed. The spectrum of single muons arising from massive muon-pair production is computed.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP) (SC-25)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1406590
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-THESIS--1979-21; UMI--79-16878; 140092
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS