Cross Sections and Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetries in Forward Neutral Pion Production from Proton Collisions at \sqrt{s} = 200 GeV

Preprint

30 October 2003

preprint
Published by arXiv in arXiv

Abstract

Measurements of the production of high energy \pi^0 mesons at large pseudorapidity and 15 < E_pi < 80 GeV from the collisions of transversely polarized protons at \sqrt{s} = 200 GeV are reported. The invariant differential cross section is generally consistent with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The analyzing power is found to be large and positive, similar to that observed in fixed-target data at \sqrt{s}\le 20 GeV, increasing from zero with Feynman-x (x_F) for x_F>~0.3. The analyzing power is in qualitative agreement with perturbative QCD model expectations extrapolated from the lower energy data. This is the first significant spin result seen for particles produced with transverse momentum above 1 GeV/c at a polarized proton collider.

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All Related Versions

Version 1, 2003-10-30, ArXiv
Version 2, 2004-04-30, ArXiv
Published version: Physical Review Letters, 92 (17), 171801.

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