Evolution of charm-meson ratios in an expanding hadron gas

Abstract

We study the time evolution of the numbers of charm mesons after the kinetic freeze-out of the hadron gas produced by a central heavy-ion collision. The $\pi D^\ast \to \pi D^\ast$ reaction rates have $t$-channel singularities that give contributions inversely proportional to the thermal width of the $D$. The ratio of the $D^0$ and $D^+$ production rates can differ significantly from those predicted using the measured $D^\ast$ branching fractions.