Diffractive open charm production in deep-inelastic scattering and photoproduction at HERA

Measurements are presented of diffractive open charm production at HERA. The event topology is given by ep→eXY where the system X contains at least one charmed hadron and is well separated by a large rapidity gap from a leading low-mass proton remnant system Y. Two analysis techniques are used for the cross section measurements. In the first, the charm quark is tagged by the reconstruction of a D^*±(2010) meson. This technique is used in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) and photoproduction (γp). In the second, a method based on the displacement of tracks from the primary vertex is used to measure the open charm contribution to the inclusive diffractive cross section in DIS. The measurements are compared with next-to-leading order QCD predictions based on diffractive parton density functions previously obtained from a QCD analysis of the inclusive diffractive cross section at H1. A good agreement is observed in the full kinematic regime, which supports the validity of QCD factorization for open charm production in diffractive DIS and γp.     

Diffractive photoproduction of D*±(2010) at HERA

Diffractive photoproduction of D^*±(2010) mesons was measured with the ZEUS detector at the ep collider HERA, using an integrated luminosity of 78.6 pb^-1. The D^* mesons were reconstructed in the kinematic range: transverse momentum p_T(D^*) > 1.9 GeV and pseudorapidity |η(D^*)|<1.6, using the decay D^*+→D⁰π⁺ _s followed by D⁰→K^-π⁺(+c.c.). Diffractive events were identified by a large gap in pseudorapidity between the produced hadronic state and the outgoing proton. Cross sections are reported for photon–proton centre-of-mass energies in the range 130 < W < 300 GeV and for photon virtualities Q² < 1 GeV², in two ranges of the Pomeron fractional momentum x_IP<0.035 and x_IP<0.01. The relative contribution of diffractive events to the inclusive D^*±(2010) photoproduction cross section is about 6%. The data are in agreement with perturbative QCD calculations based on various parameterisations of diffractive parton distribution functions. The results are consistent with diffractive QCD factorisation.     

Factorisation breaking in diffractive dijet photoproduction at HERA?

Recent experimental data on dijet cross sections in diffractive photoproduction at HERA collider are analysed with an emphasis on QCD factorisation breaking effects. The possible sources of the different conclusions of H1 and ZEUS collaborations are studied.     

Dijet production in diffractive deep inelastic scattering at HERA

The production of dijets in diffractive deep inelastic scattering has been measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 61 pb^-1. The dijet cross section has been measured for virtualities of the exchanged virtual photon, 5 < Q² < 100 GeV², and γ^*p centre-of-mass energies, 100 < W < 250 GeV. The jets, identified using the inclusive k_T algorithm in the γ^*p frame, were required to have a transverse energy E^* _T,jet > 4 GeV and the jet with the highest transverse energy was required to have E^* _T,jet > 5 GeV. All jets were required to be in the pseudorapidity range -3.5<η^* _jet<0. The differential cross sections are compared to leading-order predictions and next-to-leading-order QCD calculations based on recent diffractive parton densities extracted from inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering data.     

Factorization breaking in diffractive dijet photoproduction

We have calculated the diffractive dijet cross section in low-Q ² ep scattering in the HERA regime. The results of the calculation in LO and NLO are compared to recent experimental data of the H1 Collaboration. We find that in LO the calculated cross sections are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. In NLO, however, some of the cross sections disagree, showing that factorization breaking occurs in that order. By suppressing the resolved contribution by a factor of approximately three, good agreement with all the data is found. The size of the factorization breaking effects in diffractive dijet photoproduction agrees well with absorptive model predictions.Received: 18 August 2004, Published online: 28 October 2004     

Measurement of dijet cross sections in <Emphasis Type="Italic">ep</Emphasis> interactions with a leading neutron at HERA

Measurements are reported of the production of dijet events with a leading neutron in ep interactions at HERA. Differential cross sections for photoproduction and deep inelastic scattering are presented as a function of several kinematic variables. Leading order QCD simulation programs are compared with the measurements. Models in which the real or virtual photon interacts with a parton of an exchanged pion are able to describe the data. Next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations based on pion exchange are found to be in good agreement with the measured cross sections. The fraction of leading neutron dijet events with respect to all dijet events is also determined. The dijet events with a leading neutron have a lower fraction of resolved photon processes than do the inclusive dijet data.Received: 31 January 2005, Revised: 7 March 2005, Published online: 28 April 2005     

Diffractive photoproduction of dijets in ep collisions at HERA

Diffractive photoproduction of dijets was measured with the ZEUS detector at the ep collider HERA using an integrated luminosity of 77.2 pb^-1. The measurements were made in the kinematic range Q² < 1 GeV², 0.20<y<0.85 and x_IP<0.025, where Q² is the photon virtuality, y is the inelasticity and x_IP is the fraction of the proton momentum taken by the diffractive exchange. The two jets with the highest transverse energy, E_T ^jet, were required to satisfy E_T ^jet>7.5 and 6.5 GeV, respectively, and to lie in the pseudorapidity range -1.5<η^jet<1.5. Differential cross sections were compared to perturbative QCD calculations using available parameterisations of diffractive parton distributions of the proton.     

Factorization breaking in dijet photoproduction with a leading neutron

The production of dijets with a leading neutron in ep interactions at HERA is calculated in leading order and next-to-leading order of perturbative QCD using a pion-exchange model. Differential cross sections for deep-inelastic scattering and photoproduction are presented as a function of several kinematic variables. By comparing the theoretical predictions for DIS dijets to recent H1 data, the pion flux factor together with the parton distribution functions of the pion is determined. The dijet cross sections in photoproduction show factorization breaking if compared to the H1 photoproduction data. The suppression factor is S=0.48 (0.64) for resolved (global) suppression. PACS 12.38.Bx; 13.60.-r     

Diffractive dijet cross sections in photoproduction at HERA

Differential dijet cross sections have been measured with the ZEUS detector for photoproduction events in which the hadronic final state containing the jets is separated with respect to the outgoing proton direction by a large rapidity gap. The cross section has been measured as a function of the fraction of the photon () and pomeron () momentum participating in the production of the dijet system. The observed dependence shows evidence for the presence of a resolved- as well as a direct-photon component. The measured cross section increases as increases indicating that there is a sizeable contribution to dijet production from those events in which a large fraction of the pomeron momentum participates in the hard scattering. These cross sections and the ZEUS measurements of the diffractive structure function can be described by calculations based on parton densities in the pomeron which evolve according to the QCD evolution equations and include a substantial hard momentum component of gluons in the pomeron. Received: 20 April 1998 / Published online: 2 July 1998     

Measurement of inclusive D^{\ast\pm} and associated dijet cross sections in photoproduction at HERA

Inclusive photoproduction of mesons has been measured for photon-proton centre-of-mass energies in the range GeV and photon virtuality 1 GeV. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb. Total and differential cross sections as functions of the transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are presented in restricted kinematical regions and the data are compared with next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD calculations using the “massive charm” and “massless charm” schemes. The measured cross sections are generally above the NLO calculations, in particular in the forward (proton) direction. The large data sample also allows the study of dijet production associated with charm. A significant resolved as well as a direct photon component contribute to the cross section. Leading order QCD Monte Carlo calculations indicate that the resolved contribution arises from a significant charm component in the photon. A massive charm NLO parton level calculation yields lower cross sections compared to the measured results in a kinematic region where the resolved photon contribution is significant. Received: 9 July 1998 / Published online: 22 October 1998     

Forward-jet production in deep inelastic ep scattering at HERA

Forward jet cross sections have been measured in neutral current deep inelastic scattering at low Bjorken-x with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 81.8 pb^-1. Measurements are presented for inclusive forward jets as well as for forward jets accompanied by a dijet system. The explored phase space, with jet pseudorapidity up to 4.3 is expected to be particularly sensitive to the dynamics of QCD parton evolution at low x. The measurements are compared to fixed-order QCD calculations and to leading-order parton-shower Monte Carlo models.     

Measurement and QCD analysis of the diffractive deep-inelastic scattering cross section at HERA

A detailed analysis is presented of the diffractive deep-inelastic scattering process ep→eXY, where Y is a proton or a low mass proton excitation carrying a fraction 1-x_IP>0.95 of the incident proton longitudinal momentum and the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex satisfies |t|<1 GeV². Using data taken by the H1 experiment, the cross section is measured for photon virtualities in the range 3.5≤Q²≤1600 GeV², triple differentially in x_IP, Q² and β=x/x_IP, where x is the Bjorken scaling variable. At low x_IP, the data are consistent with a factorisable x_IP dependence, which can be described by the exchange of an effective pomeron trajectory with intercept α_IP(0)=1.118±0.008(exp.)^+0.029 _-0.010(model). Diffractive parton distribution functions and their uncertainties are determined from a next-to-leading order DGLAP QCD analysis of the Q² and β dependences of the cross section. The resulting gluon distribution carries an integrated fraction of around 70% of the exchanged momentum in the Q² range studied. Total and differential cross sections are also measured for the diffractive charged current process e⁺p→ν̄_eXY and are found to be well described by predictions based on the diffractive parton distributions. The ratio of the diffractive to the inclusive neutral current ep cross sections is studied. Over most of the kinematic range, this ratio shows no significant dependence on Q² at fixed x_IP and x or on x at fixed Q² and β.     

Measurement of charm and beauty dijet cross sections in photoproduction at HERA using the H1 vertex detector

A measurement of charm and beauty dijet photoproduction cross sections at the ep collider HERA is presented. Events are selected with two or more jets of transverse momentum p_t ^jet1(2)>11(8) GeV in the central range of pseudo-rapidity -0.9<η^jet1(2)<1.3. The fractions of events containing charm and beauty quarks are determined using a method based on the impact parameter, in the transverse plane, of tracks to the primary vertex, as measured by the H1 central vertex detector. Differential dijet cross sections for charm and beauty, and their relative contributions to the flavour inclusive dijet photoproduction cross section, are measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the leading jet, the average pseudo-rapidity of the two jets and the observable x_γ ^obs. Taking into account the theoretical uncertainties, the charm cross sections are consistent with a QCD calculation in next-to-leading order, while the predicted cross sections for beauty production are somewhat lower than the measurement.     

Factorisation breaking in diffractive dijet photoproduction at HERA

We discuss the factorisation breaking observed in diffractive dijet photoproduction by the H1 and ZEUS collaborations at HERA. By considering the effects of rapidity gap survival, hadronisation, migration and NLO contributions, we find that the observed data are compatible with theoretical expectations.     

Measurement of dijet production at low <Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis><Superscript>2</Superscript> at HERA

Triple differential dijet cross sections in interactions are presented in the region of photon virtualities 2 < Q ² < 80 GeV², inelasticities 0.1 < y < 0.85, jet transverse energies E ^* _{T 1} > 7 GeV, E ^* _{T 2} > 5 GeV, and pseudorapidities . The measurements are made in the centre-of-mass frame, using an integrated luminosity of 57 pb^-1. The data are compared with NLO QCD calculations and LO Monte Carlo programs with and without a resolved virtual photon contribution. NLO QCD calculations fail to describe the region of low Q ² and low jet transverse energies, in contrast to a LO Monte Carlo generator which includes direct and resolved photon interactions with both transversely and longitudinally polarised photons. Initial and final state parton showers are tested as a mechanism for including higher order QCD effects in low E _T jet production.Received: 13 January 2004, Revised: 21 July 2004, Published online: 18 August 2004     

Elastic J/ψ production at HERA

Cross sections for elastic production of J/ψ mesons in photoproduction and electroproduction are measured in electron proton collisions at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 55 pb^-1. Results are presented for photon virtualities Q² up to 80 GeV². The dependence on the photon-proton centre of mass energy W_γp is analysed in the range 40≤W_γp≤305 GeV in photoproduction and 40≤W_γp≤160 GeV in electroproduction. The W_γp dependences of the cross sections do not change significantly with Q² and can be described by models based on perturbative QCD. Within such models, the data show a high sensitivity to the gluon density of the proton in the domain of low Bjorken x and low Q². Differential cross sections dσ/dt, where t is the squared four-momentum transfer at the proton vertex, are measured in the range |t|<1.2 GeV² as functions of W_γp and Q². Effective Pomeron trajectories are determined for photoproduction and electroproduction. The J/ψ production and decay angular distributions are consistent with s-channel helicity conservation. The ratio of the cross sections for longitudinally and transversely polarised photons is measured as a function of Q² and is found to be described by perturbative QCD based models.     

Charged hadron multiplicities and inclusive π− distributions in inelastic ep scattering

Electroproduction of hadrons is studied in the kinematic region W < 2.8 GeV and 0.3 < Q² < 1.4 GeV² using the DESY streamer chamber. Prong cross sections, charged-particle multiplicities and inclusive π^? distributions are presented. The average charged multiplicity is found to be independent of Q² in the Q² range studied here; however it is lower than in photoproduction. The fraction of forward π^? is found to be significantly less in electroproduction than in photoproduction. The 〈p_⊥²〉 for inclusive π^? is, for all x values, similar to that found in photoproduction.     

A NLO calculation of the hadron-jet cross section in photoproduction reactions

We study the photoproduction of large charged hadrons in e p collisions, both for the inclusive case and for the case where a jet in the final state is also measured. Our results are obtained by a NLO generator of partonic events. We discuss the sensitivity of the cross section to the renormalisation and factorisation scales, and to various fragmentation function parametrisations. The possibility to constrain the parton densities in the proton and in the photon is assessed. Comparisons are made with H1 data for inclusive charged hadron production. Received: 25 June 2002 / Published online: 18 October 2002