Search for charm

Abstract

A systematic discussion of the phenomenology of charmed particles is presented with an eye to experimental searches for these states. We begin with an attempt to clarify the theoretical framework for charm. We then discuss the $SU\left(4\right)\mathrm{}$ spectroscopy of the lowest lying baryon and meson states, their masses, decay modes, lifetimes, and various production mechanisms. We also present a brief discussion of searches for short-lived tracks. Our discussion is largely based on intuition gained from the familiar—but not necessarily understood—phenomenology of known hadrons, and predictions must be interpreted only as guidelines for experimenters.