Inclusive cross section and double-helicity asymmetry for $pi^{0}$ production at midrapidity in $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $sqrt{s}=510$ GeV

PHENIX measurements are presented for the cross section and double-helicity asymmetry ($A_{LL}$) in inclusive $pi^0$ production at midrapidity from $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $sqrt{s}=510$~GeV from data taken in 2012 and 2013 at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The next-to-leading-order perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics theory calculation is in excellent agreement with the presented cross section results. The calculation utilized parton-to-pion fragmentation functions from the recent DSS14 global analysis, which prefer a smaller gluon-to-pion fragmentation function. The $pi^{0}A_{LL}$ results follow an increasingly positive asymmetry trend with $p_T$ and $sqrt{s}$ with respect to the predictions and are in excellent agreement with the latest global analysis results. This analysis incorporated earlier results on $pi^0$ and jet $A_{LL}$, and suggested a positive contribution of gluon polarization to the spin of the proton $Delta G$ for the gluon momentum fraction range $x>0.05$. The data presented here extend to a currently unexplored region, down to $xsim0.01$, and thus provide additional constraints on the value of $Delta G$. The results confirm the evidence for nonzero $Delta G$ using a different production channel in a complementary kinematic region.