How much charm can PANDA produce?

TL;DR

This paper estimates the production cross sections of charmed baryons and mesons in proton-antiproton collisions at energies relevant to the NDA experiment, using QCD sum rules and Regge models.

Contribution

It introduces a method combining QCD light-cone sum rules and Regge models to predict charmed hadron production cross sections in proton-antiproton reactions.

Findings

Cross section for NDA energy range can reach tens of nb for mbda_cbarmbda_c production.

Predicted cross sections for mbda_c, mbda_c, and D meson pairs vary significantly.

The approach provides estimates crucial for planning NDA experiment measurements.

Abstract

We consider the production of charmed baryons and mesons in the proton-antiproton binary reactions at the energies of the future $\bar{P}$ANDA experiment. To describe these processes in terms of hadronic interaction models, one needs strong couplings of the initial nucleons with the intermediate and final charmed hadrons. Similar couplings enter the models of binary reactions with strange hadrons. For both charmed and strange hadrons we employ the strong couplings and their ratios calculated from QCD light-cone sum rules. In this method finite masses of $c$ and $s$ quarks are taken into account. Employing the Kaidalov's quark-gluon string model with Regge poles and adjusting the normalization of the amplitudes in this model to the calculated strong couplings, we estimate the production cross section of charmed hadrons. For $p\bar{p}\to \Lambda_c\bar{\Lambda}_c$ it can reach several tens of $nb$ at $p_{lab}= 15 {GeV}$, whereas the cross sections of $\Sigma_c$ and $D$ pair production are predicted to be smaller.