Measurement of prompt and non-prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$-meson spin alignment in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13.6 TeV$

Abstract

A precise measurement of prompt and non-prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$-meson spin alignment with respect to the helicity and production axes in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13.6$ TeV is presented, using data collected with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The spin alignment is quantified by measuring the diagonal spin density matrix element $ρ_{\rm 00}$ for ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ mesons at midrapidity ($|y|<0.8$). The measurement is performed in the transverse-momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) range $3<p_{\rm T}<100$ GeV/$c$ for prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ mesons and $3<p_{\rm T}<30$ GeV/$c$ for non-prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ mesons, respectively. The measured $ρ_{\rm 00}$ values for prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ mesons are consistent with the unpolarised expectation of $1/3$ over the entire $p_{\rm T}$ range, indicating no evidence of spin alignment. In contrast, $ρ_{\rm 00}$ of non-prompt ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ mesons exhibit a deviation from $1/3$, consistent with expectations from weak beauty-hadron decays and well described by PYTHIA 8 simulations coupled with the EvtGen decay package. These results confirm and extend previous measurements, providing a precise baseline for future studies of ${\rm D}^{\rm *+}$ spin alignment in heavy-ion collisions.