Measurement of diffractive production of D ∗ ± ( 2010 ) mesons in deep inelastic scattering at HERA ZEUS

Diffractive production of D(2010) mesons in deep inelastic scattering has been measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 44.3 pb. Diffractive charm production is identified by the presence of a large rapidity gap in the final state of events in which a D(2010) meson is reconstructed in the decay channel D → (D → Kπ)π s (+ charge conjugate). Differential cross sections when compared with theoretical predictions indicate the importance of gluons in such diffractive interactions. The ZEUS Collaboration S. Chekanov, D. Krakauer, S. Magill, B. Musgrave, J. Repond, R. Yoshida Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439-4815 n M.C.K. Mattingly Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104-0380 P. Antonioli, G. Bari, M. Basile, L. Bellagamba, D. Boscherini, A. Bruni, G. Bruni, G. Cara Romeo, L. Cifarelli, F. Cindolo, A. Contin, M. Corradi, S. De Pasquale, P. Giusti, G. Iacobucci, A. Margotti, R. Nania, F. Palmonari, A. Pesci, G. Sartorelli, A. Zichichi University and INFN Bologna, Bologna, Italy e G. Aghuzumtsyan, D. Bartsch, I. Brock, J. Crittenden, S. Goers, H. Hartmann, E. Hilger, P. Irrgang, H.-P. Jakob, A. Kappes, U.F. Katz, R. Kerger, O. Kind, E. Paul, J. Rautenberg, R. Renner, H. Schnurbusch, A. Stifutkin, J. Tandler, K.C. Voss, A. Weber Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany b D.S. Bailey, N.H. Brook, J.E. Cole, B. Foster, G.P. Heath, H.F. Heath, S. Robins, E. Rodrigues, J. Scott, R.J. Tapper, M. Wing H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom m M. Capua, A. Mastroberardino, M. Schioppa, G. Susinno Calabria University, Physics Department and INFN, Cosenza, Italy e J.Y. Kim, Y.K. Kim, J.H. Lee, I.T. Lim, M.Y. Pac Chonnam National University, Kwangju, Korea g A. Caldwell, M. Helbich, X. Liu, B. Mellado, S. Paganis, W.B. Schmidke, F. Sciulli Nevis Laboratories, Columbia University, Irvington on Hudson, New York 10027 o J. Chwastowski, A. Eskreys, J. Figiel, K. Olkiewicz, K. Piotrzkowski, M.B. Przybycień, P. Stopa, L. Zawiejski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Cracow, Poland i L. Adamczyk, B. Bednarek, I. Grabowska-Bold, K. Jeleń, D. Kisielewska, A.M. Kowal, M. Kowal, T. Kowalski, B. Mindur, M. Przybycień, E. Rulikowska-Zarȩbska, L. Suszycki, D. Szuba, J. Szuba Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques, University of Mining and Metallurgy, Cracow, Poland p A. Kotański, W. S lomiński Department of Physics, Jagellonian University, Cracow, Poland