Accessing Sivers gluon distribution via transverse single spin asymmetries in p{sup {up_arrow}}p{yields}DX processes at BNL RHIC

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2004 · Physical Review. D, Particles Fields

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.70.074025· OSTI ID:20705349

Anselmino, M; Boglione, M ^[1]; D'Alesio, U; Murgia, F ^[2]; Leader, E ^[3]

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1. Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica, Universita di Torino and INFN, Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, I-10125 Torino (Italy)
2. INFN, Sezione di Cagliari and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Cagliari, C.P. 170, I-09042 Monserrato, CA (Italy)
3. Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BW (United Kingdom)

The production of D mesons in the scattering of transversely polarized protons off unpolarized protons at BNL RHIC offers a clear opportunity to gain information on the Sivers gluon distribution function. D production at intermediate rapidity values is dominated by the elementary gg{yields}cc channel; contributions from qq{yields}cc s-channel become important only at very large values of x{sub F}. In both processes there is no single spin transfer, so that the final c or c quarks are not polarized. Therefore, any transverse single spin asymmetry observed for D's produced in p{sup {up_arrow}}p interactions cannot originate from the Collins fragmentation mechanism, but only from the Sivers effect in the distribution functions. In particular, any sizable spin asymmetry measured in p{sup {up_arrow}}p{yields}DX at midrapidity values will be a direct indication of a nonzero Sivers gluon distribution function. We study the p{sup {up_arrow}}p{yields}DX process including intrinsic transverse motion in the parton distribution and fragmentation functions and in the elementary dynamics and show how results from RHIC could allow a measurement of {delta}{sup N}f{sub g/p{sup {up_arrow}}}.

• OSTI ID: 20705349
• Journal Information: Physical Review. D, Particles Fields, Vol. 70, Issue 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.70.074025; (c) 2004 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ASYMMETRY
BROOKHAVEN RHIC
C QUARKS
D MESONS
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
GLUON-GLUON INTERACTIONS
GLUONS
INCLUSIVE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PARTICLE RAPIDITY
PARTON MODEL
PARTONS
POLARIZATION
POLARIZED BEAMS
PROTON BEAMS
PROTON-PROTON INTERACTIONS
QUARK-ANTIQUARK INTERACTIONS
S CHANNEL
SPIN