Charmed Mesons Produced in e+e- Annihilation
We shall begin our review by summarizing the first experimental indications for the existence of charm as obtained from experiments in e{sup +}e{sup -} annihilation. This will include a brief discussion of the role of charm in the understanding of the {psi} mesons, as well as the unraveling of the intricate structure present in the e{sup +} e{sup -} total hadronic cross section. Next we shall discuss the discovery of the D{sup 0}, and D{sup +}, and detail those properties crucial to their identification as charmed particles. Following will be a review of the properties of the D{sup 0} and D{sup +} learned through studies at the {psi}(3770) resonance, Compelling evidence will be summarized indicating that this state decays nearly exclusively into D{bar D}, thus making it particularly useful in establishing inclusive and exclusive D branching fractions. Our discussion of branching fractions will include two particularly important D decay modes, D{sup 0}{yields}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} and D{sup 0}{yields}K{sup +}{sup -}. These processes are suppressed relative to D{sup 0}{yields}K{sup -}{pi}{sup +} in the standard charm model, and thus serve as a critical test of that theory. This will be followed by a discussion of the D semileptonic decay modes which provide useful information on the D{sup 0} and D{sup +} lifetimes. Turning our attention to the data collected beyond the {psi}(3770) we will discuss the properties and production mechanisms of the excited charm mesons, the D*{sup 0} and the D*{sup +}. D production just above the {psi}(3770) appears to be dominated by the three quasi-two-body processes e{sup +} e{sup -} {yields} D{bar D}, D*{bar D} + {bar D}*D, and D*{bar D}*, in accordance with early theoretical predictions. The relative amounts of each process, on the other hand, is somewhat surprising, and has led to considerable theoretical speculation. Finally, we will summarize evidence for the existence of the F meson which is as yet not on as solid a footing as the D{sup 0}, D{sup +} isodoublet.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Computing Sciences Directorate; Physics Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1068174
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-10652
- Journal Information:
- Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, Vol. 30, Issue 1; ISSN 0163-8998
- Publisher:
- Annual Reviews
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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