Abstract
The interpretation of cosmic antiproton flux measurements from space-borne experiments is currently limited by the knowledge of the antiproton production cross-section in collisions between ...primary cosmic rays and the interstellar medium. Using collisions of protons with an energy of 6.5
$$\,\text {Te\hspace{-1.00006pt}V}$$
Te
V
incident on helium nuclei at rest in the proximity of the interaction region of the LHCb experiment, the ratio of antiprotons originating from antihyperon decays to prompt production is measured for antiproton momenta between 12 and
$$110\,\text {Ge\hspace{-1.00006pt}V\!/}c $$
110
Ge
V\!/
c
. The dominant antihyperon contribution, namely
$${\overline{\varLambda }} \rightarrow {\overline{{p}}} {{\pi } ^+} $$
Λ
¯
→
p
¯
π
+
decays from promptly produced
$$\overline{\varLambda }$$
Λ
¯
particles, is also exclusively measured. The results complement the measurement of prompt antiproton production obtained from the same data sample. At the energy scale of this measurement, the antihyperon contributions to antiproton production are observed to be significantly larger than predictions of commonly used hadronic production models.
Abstract
A measurement of
$${{D}} ^0$$
D
0
meson production by the LHCb experiment in its fixed-target configuration is presented. The production of
$${{D}} ^0$$
D
0
mesons is studied with a beam of ...2.5
$$\,\text {Te\hspace{-1.00006pt}V}$$
Te
V
protons colliding on a gaseous neon target at rest, corresponding to a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy of
$$\sqrt{s_{\scriptscriptstyle \text {NN}}} = 68.5\,\,\text {Ge\hspace{-1.00006pt}V} $$
s
NN
=
68.5
Ge
V
. The sum of the
$${{D}} ^0$$
D
0
and
$${\hspace{0.0pt}\overline{\hspace{0.0pt}{D}}} {}^0$$
D
¯
0
production cross-section in
$$p\text {Ne}$$
p
Ne
collisions in the centre-of-mass rapidity range
$$y^{\star }\in -2.29, 0$$
y
⋆
∈
-
2.29
,
0
is found to be
$$\sigma _{D^{0}}^{y^\star \in -2.29, 0} = 48.2 \pm 0.3 \pm 4.5 \,\upmu \text {b}/\text {nucleon}$$
σ
D
0
y
⋆
∈
-
2.29
,
0
=
48.2
±
0.3
±
4.5
μ
b
/
nucleon
where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The
$${{{D}} ^0}-{{\hspace{0.0pt}\overline{\hspace{0.0pt}{D}}} {}^0} $$
D
0
-
D
¯
0
production asymmetry is also evaluated and suggests a trend towards negative values at large negative
$$y^{\star }$$
y
⋆
. The considered models do not account precisely for all the features observed in the LHCb data, but theoretical predictions including 1
$$\%$$
%
intrinsic charm and 10
$$\%$$
%
recombination contributions better describe the data than the other models considered.
An amplitude analysis of the B^{0}→K^{*0}μ^{+}μ^{-} decay is presented using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb^{-1} of pp collision data collected with the LHCb ...experiment. For the first time, the coefficients associated to short-distance physics effects, sensitive to processes beyond the standard model, are extracted directly from the data through a q^{2}-unbinned amplitude analysis, where q^{2} is the μ^{+}μ^{-} invariant mass squared. Long-distance contributions, which originate from nonfactorizable QCD processes, are systematically investigated, and the most accurate assessment to date of their impact on the physical observables is obtained. The pattern of measured corrections to the short-distance couplings is found to be consistent with previous analyses of b- to s-quark transitions, with the largest discrepancy from the standard model predictions found to be at the level of 1.8 standard deviations. The global significance of the observed differences in the decay is 1.4 standard deviations.
The fraction of χ_{c1} and χ_{c2} decays in the prompt J/ψ yield, F_{χ_{c}→J/ψ}=σ_{χ_{c}→J/ψ}/σ_{J/ψ}, is measured by the LHCb detector in pPb collisions at sqrts_{NN}=8.16 TeV. The study covers the ...forward (1.5<y^{*}<4.0) and backward (-5.0<y^{*}<-2.5) rapidity regions, where y^{*} is the J/ψ rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass system. Forward and backward rapidity samples correspond to integrated luminosities of 13.6±0.3 and 20.8±0.5 nb^{-1}, respectively. The result is presented as a function of the J/ψ transverse momentum p_{T,J/ψ} in the range 1<p_{T,J/ψ}<20 GeV/c. The F_{χ_{c}→J/ψ} fraction at forward rapidity is compatible with the LHCb measurement performed in pp collisions at sqrts=7 TeV, whereas the result at backward rapidity is 2.4σ larger than in the forward region for 1<p_{T,J/ψ}<3 GeV/c. The increase of F_{χ_{c}→J/ψ} at low p_{T,J/ψ} at backward rapidity is compatible with the suppression of the ψ(2S) contribution to the prompt J/ψ yield. The lack of in-medium dissociation of χ_{c} states observed in this study sets an upper limit of 180 MeV on the free energy available in these pPb collisions to dissociate or inhibit charmonium state formation.
The production rate of Λ_{b}^{0} baryons relative to B^{0} mesons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrts=13 TeV is measured by the LHCb experiment. The ratio of Λ_{b}^{0} to B^{0} ...production cross sections shows a significant dependence on both the transverse momentum and the measured charged-particle multiplicity. At low multiplicity, the ratio measured at LHCb is consistent with the value measured in e^{+}e^{-} collisions, and increases by a factor of ∼2 with increasing multiplicity. At relatively low transverse momentum, the ratio of Λ_{b}^{0} to B^{0} cross sections is higher than what is measured in e^{+}e^{-} collisions, but converges with the e^{+}e^{-} ratio as the momentum increases. These results imply that the evolution of heavy b quarks into final-state hadrons is influenced by the density of the hadronic environment produced in the collision. Comparisons with several models and implications for the mechanisms enforcing quark confinement are discussed.
The decay-time-dependent CP asymmetry in B_{s}^{0}→J/ψ(→μ^{+}μ^{-})K^{+}K^{-} decays is measured using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb^{-1}, collected ...with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Using a sample of approximately 349 000 B_{s}^{0} signal decays with an invariant K^{+}K^{-} mass in the vicinity of the ϕ(1020) resonance, the CP-violating phase ϕ_{s} is measured, along with the difference in decay widths of the light and heavy mass eigenstates of the B_{s}^{0}-Bover ¯_{s}^{0} system, ΔΓ_{s}, and the difference of the average B_{s}^{0} and B^{0} meson decay widths, Γ_{s}-Γ_{d}. The values obtained are ϕ_{s}=-0.039±0.022±0.006 rad, ΔΓ_{s}=0.0845±0.0044±0.0024 ps^{-1}, and Γ_{s}-Γ_{d}=-0.0056_{-0.0015}^{+0.0013}±0.0014 ps^{-1}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. These are the most precise single measurements to date and are consistent with expectations based on the Standard Model and with the previous LHCb analyses of this decay. These results are combined with previous independent LHCb measurements. The phase ϕ_{s} is also measured independently for each polarization state of the K^{+}K^{-} system and shows no evidence for polarization dependence.
A measurement of time-dependent CP violation in the decays of B^{0} and Bover ¯^{0} mesons to the final states J/ψ(→μ^{+}μ^{-})K_{S}^{0}, ψ(2S)(→μ^{+}μ^{-})K_{S}^{0} and J/ψ(→e^{+}e^{-})K_{S}^{0} ...with K_{S}^{0}→π^{+}π^{-} is presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of sqrts=13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The CP-violation parameters are measured to be S_{ψK_{S}^{0}}=0.717±0.013(stat)±0.008(syst) and C_{ψK_{S}^{0}}=0.008±0.012(stat)±0.003(syst). This measurement of S_{ψK_{S}^{0}} represents the most precise single measurement of the CKM angle β to date and is more precise than the current world average. In addition, measurements of the CP-violation parameters of the individual channels are reported and a combination with the LHCb Run 1 measurements is performed.
A flavor-tagged time-dependent angular analysis of the decay B_{s}^{0}→ϕϕ is performed using pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at the center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding ...to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb^{-1}. The CP-violating phase and direct CP-violation parameter are measured to be ϕ_{s}^{ssover ¯s}=-0.042±0.075±0.009 rad and |λ|=1.004±0.030±0.009, respectively, assuming the same values for all polarization states of the ϕϕ system. In these results, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. These parameters are also determined separately for each polarization state, showing no evidence for polarization dependence. The results are combined with previous LHCb measurements using pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding ϕ_{s}^{ssover ¯s}=-0.074±0.069 rad and |λ|=1.009±0.030. This is the most precise study of time-dependent CP violation in a penguin-dominated B meson decay. The results are consistent with CP symmetry and with the standard model predictions.
The first observation and study of two new baryonic structures in the final state Ξ_{b}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} and the confirmation of the Ξ_{b}(6100)^{-} state in the Ξ_{b}^{-}π^{+}π^{-} decay mode are ...reported using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb^{-1}. In addition, the properties of the known Ξ_{b}^{*0}, Ξ_{b}^{'-} and Ξ_{b}^{*-} resonances are measured with improved precision. The new decay mode of the Ξ_{b}^{0} baryon to the Ξ_{c}^{+} π^{-} π^{+} π^{-} final state is observed and exploited for the first time in these measurements.
The branching fraction of the rare decay Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ(1520)μ^{+}μ^{-} is measured for the first time, in the squared dimuon mass intervals q^{2}, excluding the J/ψ and ψ(2S) regions. The data sample ...analyzed was collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb^{-1}. The result in the highest q^{2} interval, q^{2}>15.0 GeV^{2}/c^{4}, where theoretical predictions have the smallest model dependence, agrees with the predictions.
