The European Physical Journal C

ISSN: 1434-6044 (printed version)
ISSN: 1434-6052 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 1 Issue 1/2 (1998) pp 123-130

experimental physics:
Open charm contribution to dilepton spectra produced in nuclear collisions at SPS energies

P. Braun-Munzinger (1), D. Miskowiec (1), A. Drees (2), C. Lourenço (3)

(1) GSI, Postfach 110552, D-64220 Darmstadt, Germany
(2) Universität Heidelberg, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
(3) CERN, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Received: 9 June 1997 / Revised version: 6 August 1997

Abstract. Measurements of open charm hadro-production from CERN and Fermilab experiments are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the absolute cross sections and on their A and $\sqrt{s}$ dependences. Differential $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ and $x_{\mathrm{F}}$ cross sections calculated with the Pythia event generator are found to be in reasonable agreement with recent data. The calculations are scaled to nucleus-nucleus collisions and the expected lepton pair yield is deduced. The charm contribution to the low mass dilepton continuum observed by the CERES experiment is found to be negligible. In particular, it is shown that the observed low mass dilepton excess in S-Au collisions cannot be explained by charm enhancement.

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Online publication: December 11, 1997
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