Study of D* Production in Proton-Proton Collisions Using the STAR Detector at RHIC

Charged D* meson production was studied in proton-proton collisions at a center of mass energy of 200 GeV using the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Methods for the identification of D* mesons will be outlined. In the decay channel considered, the charged D* goes into a charged pion and a neutral D meson. The neutral D further decays into a charged pion and a charged kaon. The study provides baseline data for charm production in heavy ion collisions.