Measurement of D-meson production at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at {sqrt{s}=7}\xa0TeV

Abstract

The production cross sections for prompt charmed mesons mathrm{D^0}, mathrm{D^+}, mathrm{D^{*+}} and mathrm{D_s^+} were measured at mid-rapidity in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy sqrt{s}=7~{mathrm {TeV}} with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). D mesons were reconstructed from their decays mathrm{D}^0 rightarrow mathrm{K}^-pi ^+, mathrm{D}^+rightarrow mathrm{K}^-pi ^+pi ^+, mathrm{D}^{*+} rightarrow mathrm{D}^0 pi ^+, mathrm{D_s^{+}rightarrow phi pi ^+rightarrow K^-K^+pi ^+}, and their charge conjugates.With respect to previous measurements in the same rapidity region, the coverage in transverse momentum (p_mathrm{T}) is extended and the uncertainties are reduced by a factor of about two. The accuracy on the estimated total mathrm{c}{overline{mathrm{c}}} production cross section is likewise improved. The measured p_mathrm{T}-differential cross sections are compared with the results of three perturbative QCD calculations.