Fragmentation functions for baryons in a quark-diquark model

A perturbative QCD calculation of heavy flavor quark fragmentation into heavy flavor baryons is developed along the lines of corresponding heavy meson models. The nonperturbative formation of the baryon is accomplished by implementing the quark-diquark model of the baryons. Diquark color form factors are used to enable the integration over the virtual heavy quark momentum. The resulting spin-independent functions for charmed and bottom quarks to fragment into charmed and bottom baryons with spin 1/2 and 3/2 are compared with recent data. Predictions are made for the spin-dependent fragmentation functions as well, particularly for the functions g1 and h1 in the case of spin 1/2 baryons. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society