Measurement of $D^{\ast \pm }$, $D^{\pm }$ and $D_s^{\pm }$ meson production cross sections in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of $D^{\ast \pm }$, $D^{\pm }$ and $D_s^{\pm }$ charmed mesons has been measured with the ATLAS detector in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV at the LHC, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $280$nb${}^{-1}$. The charmed mesons have been reconstructed in the range of transverse momentum $3.5<p_{\mathrm{T}}(D)<100$ GeV and pseudorapidity $\mathrm{\mid }\eta (D)\mathrm{\mid }<2.1$. The differential cross sections as a function of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity were measured for $D^{\ast \pm }$ and $D^{\pm }$ production. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions are consistent with the data in the visible kinematic region within the large theoretical uncertainties. Using the visible $D$ cross sections and an extrapolation to the full kinematic phase space, the strangeness-suppression factor in charm fragmentation, the fraction of charged non-strange $D$ mesons produced in a vector state, and the total cross section of charm production at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV were derived.