Measurement of the D^{*}(2010)^{+}-D^{+} Mass Difference

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• Hadron Spectroscopy

Background:

• The D*+ and D+ mesons are crucial for understanding heavy quark dynamics.
• Precise measurements of their mass difference provide stringent tests for theoretical models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure the mass difference, Δm_{+}, between the D^{*}(2010)^{+} and D^{+} mesons.
• To improve the precision of the D meson mass difference, Δm_{D}.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the BABAR detector at center-of-mass energies at and near the ϒ(4S) resonance.
• Analyzed the decay chain D^{*}(2010)^{+}→D^{+}π^{0} with D^{+}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{+} for approximately 468 fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity.

Main Results:

• Measured Δm_{+} = (140601.0 ± 6.8[stat] ± 12.9[syst]) keV.
• Determined the D meson mass difference Δm_{D} = (4824.9 ± 6.8[stat] ± 12.9[syst]) keV.

Conclusions:

• The measured mass difference is compatible with previous results.
• The precision of this measurement is approximately five times greater than the Particle Data Group averages, offering a significant advancement in the field.