Spin Dependent Fragmentation Functions for Heavy Flavor Baryons and Single Heavy Hyperon Polarization

Abstract

Spin dependent fragmentation functions for heavy flavor quarks to fragment into heavy baryons are calculated in a quark-diquark model. The production of intermediate spin 1/2 and 3/2 excited states is explicity included. ${\Lambda }_b$ , ${\Lambda }_c$ and ${\Xi }_c$ production rate and polarization at LEP energies are calculated and, where possible, compared with experiment. A different approach, also relying on a heavy quark-diquark model, is proposed for the small momentum transfer inclusive production of polarized heavy flavor hyperons. The predicted ${\Lambda }_c$ polarization is roughly in agreement with experiment.

Comments: LaTeX2e 11 pages with 4 PostScript figures. To be published in Proceedings of the International Workshop ``Symmetries and spin'', Praha-SPIN-2000