Measurement of Quark Transversity through the Collins Mechanism in Mid-Rapidity Jets in $p^\uparrow p$ Collisions at STAR

The spin-dependent azimuthal distribution of leading charged hadrons within jets resulting from transversely polarized $p^\uparrow p$ collisions can be expressed as a convolution of three different quantities. The first of these, the quark transverse spin distribution ($\delta q(x,Q^2)$), quantifies the probability of the quark spin aligning with the transverse spin of the proton. There is also dependence upon a hard-scattering spin-transfer coefficient calculated using pQCD (estimated as $\sim$0.5 in the STAR detector acceptance and trigger). Finally, there is a dependence on the Collins fragmentation function ($\Delta{D(z)}$), previously extracted from measurements made by the Belle, HERMES, and COMPASS collaborations. Measurement of the asymmetry in the reaction $p^\uparrow p \rightarrow$ jet $+\;X \rightarrow \pi + X$ should allow for an independent extraction of $\delta q(x,Q^2)$ via the same methods used in existing global analysis by Anselmino, et al. Transversely polarized ($\sim$58\%) $p^\uparrow p$ collision data ($\sim$1 pb$^{-1}$) at $\sqrt{s} = $200 GeV from the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) enable a statistically significant measurement of this asymmetry. The STAR detector provides full azimuthal coverage for both charged and neutral particle identification, and thus full jet reconstruction, in the mid-rapidity region ($|\eta|<1$). Progress toward measurement of this asymmetry for leading charged pions will be presented.