Parton Model Calculation of Inclusive Charm Production by a Low-energy Antiproton Beam

The cross section for inclusive charm production by a low-energy antiproton beam is calculated using the parton model and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD. For an antiproton beam with a momentum of 15 GeV, the charm cross section at next-to-leading order in the QCD coupling constant changes by more than an order of magnitude as the charm quark mass is varied from 1.3 to 1.7 GeV. The variations can be reduced by demanding that the same value of the charm quark mass give the measured charm cross sections for fixed-target experiments with a proton beam. The resulting estimate for the charm cross section from a low-energy antiproton beam is large enough to allow the study of charm meson mixing.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

The charm physics programme at the LHCb upgrade, and Atlas and CMS upgrades

Charm physics has been established at the LHC based on several high-precision measurements. The future of charm physics at the LHC experiments is discussed in detail. The bulk of the charm physics programme will be performed by LHCb and the LHCb upgrade. In particular, the impact of the LHCb upgrade on mixing and \CP violation measurements is presented.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of The 5th International Workshop on Charm Physics (Charm 2012

Drag Effects in Charm Photoproduction

We have refined a model for charm fragmentation at hadron colliders. This model can also be applied to the photoproduction of charm. We investigate the effect of fragmentation on the distribution of produced charm quarks. The drag effect is seen to produce charm hadrons that are shifted in rapidity in the direction of the beam remnant. We also study the importance of different production mechanisms such as charm in the photon and from parton showers.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Proc. of DESY Workshop "Monte Carlo Generators for HERA Physics

Open charm production in central Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN SPS: statistical model estimates

Charm particle production in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN SPS energies is considered within a statistical approach. Namely, the Statistical Model of the Early Stage is used to calculate mean multiplicity of charm particles in central Pb+Pb collisions. A small number of produced charm particles necessitates the use of the exact charm conservation law. The model predicts a rapid increase of mean charm multiplicity as a function of collision energy. The mean multiplicity calculated for central Pb+Pb collisions at the center of mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=17.3$ GeV exceeds significantly the experimental upper limit. Thus, in order to describe open charm production model parameters and/or assumptions should be revised.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Status and prospects for the LHCb upgrade

High-precision measurements performed by the LHCb collaboration have opened a new era in charm physics. Several crucial measurements, particularly in spectroscopy, rare decays and CP violation, can benefit from the increased statistical power of an upgraded LHCb detector. The upgrade of LHCb detector, its software infrastructure, and the impact on charm physics are discussed in detail.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of The 6th International Workshop on Charm Physics (CHARM 2013