Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of charm meson production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV, providing data that agree with perturbative QCD predictions and enhancing understanding of charm quark production at high energies.

Contribution

First precise measurement of prompt charm meson production cross sections at 7 TeV in the central rapidity region using the ALICE detector.

Findings

Measured differential cross sections for D0, D+, D*+ mesons.

Results are consistent with perturbative QCD predictions.

Collected large sample of charm mesons with high statistical significance.

Abstract

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential inclusive production cross sections of the prompt charmed mesons $D^0$, $D^+$, and $D^{*+}$ in the rapidity range |y|<0.5 were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. Reconstructing the decays $D^0\rightarrow K^-\pi^+$, $D^+\rightarrow K^-\pi^+\pi^+$, $D^{*+}\rightarrow D^0\pi^+$, and their charge conjugates, about 8,400 $D^0$, 2,900 $D^+$, and 2,600 $D^{*+}$ mesons with 1<$p_{\rm T}$<24 GeV/$c$ were counted, after selection cuts, in a data sample of 3.14x10$^8$ events collected with a minimum-bias trigger (integrated luminosity $L_{\rm int}$ = 5/nb). The results are described within uncertainties by predictions based on perturbative QCD.