Progress toward using non-photonic electrons in polarized p+p collisions to measure the gluon spin structure function

One of the main goals of the RHIC spin program is to measure the gluon spin structure function $\Delta G$ in the proton. So far, STAR has focused efforts on inclusive measurements such as pion and jet production in polarized $pp$ collisions. However, as improvements in both beam and detector have allowed for increased luminosity and statistics in the available data, other probes are becoming viable. One such probe is the non-photonic electrons from semi-leptonic decays of heavy flavor quarks. In $pp$ collisions, production of heavy quark pairs is dominated by gluon-gluon fusion, $gg \rightarrow q\bar{q}$. A study of these non-photonic electrons in polarized $pp$ collisions will provide insight into $\Delta G$. This talk will provide an overview of what has been done to date on the detection of non-photonic electrons towards an $A_{LL}$ measurement. The talk will include a summary of the electron identification procedures using the STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC), Barrel Electromagnetic Calorimeter (BEMC), and Barrel Shower Maximum Detector (BSMD). A status update on the measurement of non-photonic electron yield in polarized $pp$ collisions at the center of mass energy of 200 GeV from the 2006 run will be presented.