Exclusive photoproduction of charmed $D^*$ vector mesons, $γ+N\to Y_c+ \bar{D}^*$, $Y_c=Λ_c^+$ or $Σ_c$

Abstract

The spin structure of the matrix element for the reactions $γ+ N\to Y_c +{D}^*$, where $Y_c=Λ_c^+(2285)$, $Σ_c(2455)$ are charmed baryons with spin 1/2, and $D^*(2010)$ is the vector charmed meson, can be parametrized, in collinear regime, in terms of three independent scalar amplitudes, which are functions of the photon energy $E_γ$, only. In framework of an effective Lagrangian approach generalized to charm photoproduction, we calculate the energy dependence of the differential cross section, the density matrix element of $\bar{D}^*$, $ρ_{11}$, the asymmetry $A_z$ in the collision of circularly polarized photons with polarized nucleons, and the polarization of the produced $Y_c$-hyperon, $P_z$, in the collision of circularly polarized photons with unpolarized target. All these polarization observables either vanish or are large, in absolute value, with a smooth $E_γ$-dependence, and differ for $Λ_c^+$ and $Σ_c$ --production.