Measurement of bb̅ rapidity correlations in pp̅ collisions at √s =1.8 TeV

We report the first direct measurement of bb rapidity correlations in pp collisions at √=1.8 TeV. We select events with a high transverse momentum muonaccompanied by a jet, and a second jet associated with a decay vertex displaced from the pp interaction vertex. Two independent samples are obtained corresponding to events with a forward (2.0 < |η| < 2.6) or central (|η| < 0.6) muon. We measure the ratio of forward to central bb production to be 0.361±0.033(stat) -0.031 +0.015 (syst), in good agreement with the next-to-leading order QCD prediction 0.338 -0.097 +0.014 . ©2000 The American Physical Society.