Double helicity asymmetry for charged pion + jet production in p+p collisions at [square root of] s=200 GeV at STAR

Abstract

Inclusive measurements from polarized proton-proton collisions at RHIC have constrained [Delta]g, the polarized gluon distribution function of the proton. Correlation observables, such as this pion+jet measurement, allow for reconstruction of initial parton kinematics and are thus sensitive to the x dependence of [Delta]g. By measuring charged pions opposite a jet, this particular measurement can be sensitive to the flavor of the struck parton. This measurement, which is dominated by the quark-gluon subprocess, can be divided into terms proportional to [Delta]u[Delta]g and [Delta]d[Delta]g. The relatively larger quark polarization amplifies the measured asymmetry thereby enhancing the statistical power. This thesis presents the result of the mid-rapidity pion+jet longitudinal double spin asymmetry analysis from 10.6 pb-1 of luminosity collected in the 2009 200 GeV p+p run.