Professor Amanda Cooper-Sarkar

Abstract:

The exclusive electroproduction of ω mesons, ep → e ω p, has been studied in the kinematic range 3 < Q2 < 20 GeV2, 40 < W < 120 GeV and |t| < 0.6 GeV2 with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 37.7 pb-1. The ω mesons were identified via the decay ω → π+ π- π0. The exclusive cross section in the above kinematic region is σ(ep) → e ω p = 0.108 ± 0.014 (stat.) ± 0.026(syst.) nb. The reaction ep → e φ p, φ → π+ π- π0, has also been measured. The cross sections, as well as the ratios σ γ·p → ωp/σ γ · p → p0p and σ γ · p → ωp/σγ·p → φp, are presented as a function of W and Q2. Thus, for the first time, the properties of ω electroproduction can be compared to those of p0,φ and J/ψ electroproduction at high W. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Abstract:

The distribution of the azimuthal angle for the charged hadrons has been studied in the hadronic centre-of-mass system for neutral current deep inelastic positron-proton scattering with the ZEUS detector at HERA. Measurements of the dependence of the moments of this distribution on the transverse momenta of the charged hadrons are presented. Asymmetries that can be unambiguously attributed to perturbative QCD processes have been observed for the first time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Abstract:

The first measurement of inclusive D(s)(±) photoproduction at HERA has been performed with the ZEUS detector for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies 130 < W < 280GeV. The measured cross section for 3 < p (is perpendicular to)/(D(s)) < 12GeV and |η(D(s))| < 1.5 is σ(ep → D(s)X) = 3.79 ± 0.59(stat.) -0.46/+0.26 (syst.) ± 0.94(br.)nb, where the last error arises from the uncertainty in the D(s)(±) decay branching ratio. The measurements are compared with inclusive D*(±) photoproduction cross sections in the same kinematic region and with QCD calculations. The D(s)(±) cross sections lie above a fixed-order next-to-leading order calculation and agree better with a tree-level O(αα(s)/3) calculation that was tuned to describe the ZEUS D*(±) cross sections. The ratio of D(s)(±) to D*(±) cross sections is 0.41 ± 0.07 (stat.) -0.05/+0.03 (syst.) ± 0.10(br.). From this ratio, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm photoproduction, within the LUND string fragmentation model, has been calculated to be γ(s) = 0.27 ± 0.05 ± 0.07(br.). The cross-section ratio and γ(s) are in good agreement with those obtained in charm production in e+e- annihilation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.