Polarized Photoproduction of Heavy Quarks in Next-to-Leading Order

Abstract

The results of a next-to-leading order calculation of heavy quark production in longitudinally polarized photon-nucleon collisions are presented. At c.m. energy $\sqrt{S}=10$ GeV, for $\vec γ+\vec p \to c+X$, cross sections differential in the transverse momentum and rapidity of the charmed quark $c$ and the corresponding asymmetries are presented; also, as functions of $\sqrt{S}$, integrated cross sections, $K$-factors and the corresponding asymmetries are given. Errors in the asymmetries are estimated and the possibility to distinguish between three scerarios differing essentially in the polarized gluon distribution is discussed.