Polarized photoproduction of heavy quarks in next-to-leading order

The results of a next-to-leading order calculation of heavy quark production in longitudinally polarized photon-nucleon collisions are presented. At c.m. energy root S = 10 GeV, for gamma + p --> c + X, cross sections differential in the transverse momentum and rapidity of the charmed quark c and the corresponding asymmetries are presented; also, as functions of root S, integrated cross sections, K-factors and the corresponding asymmetries an given. Errors in the asymmetries are estimated and the possibility to distinguish between three scenarios differing essentially in the polarized gluon distribution is discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.