H. A. Rubin

Dalitz plot analysis of the decay D+ ---> K- pi+ pi+ and indication of a low-mass scalar K pi resonance

We study the Dalitz plot of the decay D^+ -->K^- pi^+ pi^+ with a sample of 15090 events from Fermilab experiment E791. Modeling the decay amplitude as the coherent sum of known K pi resonances and a uniform nonresonant term, we do not obtain an acceptable fit. If we allow the mass and width of the K^*_0(1430) to float, we obtain values consistent with those from PDG but the chi^2 per degree of freedom of the fit is still unsatisfactory. A good fit is found when we allow for the presence of an additional scalar resonance, with mass 797 +/- 19 +/- 43 MeV/c^2 and width 410 +/- 43 +/- 87 MeV/c^2. The mass and width of the K^*_0(1430) become 1459 +/- 7 +/- 5 MeV/c^2 and 175 +/- 12 +/- 12 MeV/c^2, respectively. Our results provide new information on the scalar sector in hadron spectroscopy.

Observation of color-transparency in diffractive dissociation of pions

We have studied the diffractive dissociation into dijets of 500 GeV/c pions scattering coherently from carbon and platinum targets. Extrapolating to asymptotically high energies (where t(min)-->0), we find that when the per-nucleus cross section for this process is parametrized as sigma = sigma0Aalpha, alpha has values near 1.6, the exact result depending on jet transverse momentum. These values are in agreement with those predicted by theoretical calculations of color-transparency.

Evidence for the decay sigma+ --> pmu+ mu-.

We report the first evidence for the decay Sigma(+)-->pmu(+)mu(-) from data taken by the HyperCP (E871) experiment at Fermilab. Based on three observed events, the branching ratio is B(Sigma(+)-->pmu(+)mu(-))=[8.6(+6.6)(-5.4)(stat)+/-5.5(syst)]x10(-8). The narrow range of dimuon masses may indicate that the decay proceeds via a neutral intermediate state, Sigma(+)-->pP(0),P0-->mu(+)mu(-) with a P0 mass of 214.3+/-0.5 MeV/c(2) and branching ratio B(Sigma(+)-->pP(0),P0-->mu(+)mu(-))=[3.1(+2.4)(-1.9)(stat)+/-1.5(syst)]x10(-8).

Asymmetries between the production of D+ and D− mesons from 500 GeV/c π−-nucleus interactions as a function of xF and pt2

Abstract We present measurements of the production of Ds− mesons relative to Ds+ mesons as functions of xF and of pt2 for a sample of 2445 Ds decays to φπ. The Ds mesons were produced in Fermilab experiment E791 with 500 GeV/c π− mesons incident on one platinum and four carbon foil targets. The acceptance-corrected integrated asymmetry in the xF range −0.1 to 0.5 for Ds± mesons is 0.032 ± 0.022 ± 0.022, consistent with no net asymmetry. We compare the results as functions of xF and pt2 to predictions and to the large production asymmetry observed for D± mesons in the same experiment. These comparisons support the hypothesis that production asymmetries come from the fragmentation process and not from the charm quark production itself.

MEASUREMENTS OF LIFETIMES AND A LIMIT ON THE LIFETIME DIFFERENCE IN THE NEUTRAL D-MESON SYSTEM

Using the large hadroproduced charm sample collected in experiment E791 at Fermilab, we report the first directly measured constraint on the decay-width difference Delta Gamma for the mass eigenstates of the D0-D0bar system. We obtain our result from lifetime measurements of the decays D0 -->K-pi+ and D0 -->K-K+, under the assumption of CP invariance, which implies that the CP eigenstates and the mass eigenstates are the same. The lifetime of D0 -->K-K+ (the CP-even final state is \tau_KK = 0.410 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.006 ps, and the lifetime of D0 -->K-pi+ (an equal mixture of CP-odd and CP-even final states is tau_Kpi = 0.413 +/- 0.003 +/- 0.004 ps. The decay-width difference is Delta Gamma = 2(Gamma_KK - Gamma_Kpi) = 0.04 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.05 ps^-1. We relate these measurements to measurements of mixing in the neutral D-meson system.

Inclusive production of neutral strange particles by 147 GeV/cπ+/K+/p interactions in hydrogen

Results are presented from a study of inclusive neutral strange particle production by a 147 GeV/c tagged π+/K+/p beam in the Fermilab 30-inch hydrogen bubble chamber. The experiment made use of the proportional hybrid spectrometer system. Results are based on 995 KS0, 485 Λ, and 83 Λ found in a sample of 132 000 pictures. Cross sections are given for inclusive production of these particles by each of the three beam particles, and comparisons are made with measurements at other energies. Topological cross sections are also calculated, and KNO multiplicity scaling is investigated. Distributions are presented of invariant cross sections as functions of the Feynman scaling variable x and c.m. rapidity y. The transverse momentum-squared distributions with their fitted slopes are also given. Comparisons are made of the production characteristics for the three beam types.

Cross sections and charged multiplicity distributions for π−p and K−p interactions at 147 GeV/c

Abstract The results presented in this paper were obtained from a 105 000 frame exposure of the FNAL Hybrid Proportional Wire Chamber-30 inch Bubble Chamber System, in a tagged beam of 147 GeV/ c negative particles. Elastic, total and topological cross sections were obtained for both π − p and K − p interactions. Comparisons with other data, taken with various beam particles over large momentum intervals, show good agreement with KNO scaling, and similarity in the scaling behavior of σ n for the different beam particles.

Search for D0 - anti-D0 mixing in semileptonic decay modes

We report the result of a search for D0 - D0_bar mixing in the data from hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab. We use the D* tag and semileptonic decay vertices of D0 to look for wrong-sign decays with mixing time dependence.

Observation of the decay K- ---> pi- mu+ mu- and measurements of the branching ratios for K+- ---> pi+- mu+ mu-

Using data collected with the HyperCP (E871) spectrometer during the 1997 fixed-target run at Fermilab, we report the first observation of the decay K--->pi(-)mu(+)mu(-) and new measurements of the branching ratios for K+/--->pi(+/-)mu(+)mu(-). By combining the branching ratios for the decays K+-->pi(+)mu(+)mu(-) and K--->pi(-)mu(+)mu(-), we measure Gamma(K+/--->pi(+/-)mu(+)mu(-))/Gamma(K+/--->all) = (9.8+/-1.0+/-0.5)x10(-8). The CP asymmetry between the rates of the two decay modes is [Gamma(K+-->pi(+)mu(+)mu(-))-Gamma(K--->pi(-)mu(+)mu(-))]/[Gamma(K+-->pi(+)mu(+)mu(-))+Gamma(K--->pi(-)mu(+)mu(-))] = -0.02+/-0.11+/-0.04.

Search for rare and forbidden dilepton decays of the D+, Ds+, and D0 charmed mesons

Abstract We report the results of a search for flavor-changing neutral current, lepton-flavor violating, and lepton-number violating decays of D + , D s + , and D 0 mesons (and their antiparticles) into modes containing muons and electrons. Using data from Fermilab charm hadroproduction experiment E791, we examine the π ll and K ll decay modes of D + and D s + and the l + l − decay modes of D 0 . No evidence for any of these decays is found. Therefore, we present branching-fraction upper limits at 90% confidence level for the 24 decay modes examined. Eight of these modes have no previously reported limits, and fourteen are reported with significant improvements over previously published results.