Challenges in semileptonic B decays Gambino, P.; Kronfeld, A. S.; Rotondo, M. ...
The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
10/2020, Letnik:
80, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Two of the elements of the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa quark mixing matrix,
|
V
ub
|
and
|
V
cb
|
, are extracted from semileptonic
B
decays. The results of the
B
factories, analysed in the light of ...the most recent theoretical calculations, remain puzzling, because for both
|
V
ub
|
and
|
V
cb
|
the exclusive and inclusive determinations are in clear tension. Further, measurements in the
τ
channels at Belle, Babar, and LHCb show discrepancies with the Standard Model predictions, pointing to a possible violation of lepton flavor universality. LHCb and Belle II have the potential to resolve these issues in the next few years. This article summarizes the discussions and results obtained at the MITP workshop held on April 9–13, 2018, in Mainz, Germany, with the goal to develop a medium-term strategy of analyses and calculations aimed at solving the puzzles. Lattice and continuum theorists working together with experimentalists have discussed how to reshape the semileptonic analyses in view of the much higher luminosity expected at Belle II, searching for ways to systematically validate the theoretical predictions in both exclusive and inclusive
B
decays, and to exploit the rich possibilities at LHCb.
A
bstract
It is well known that in
b
-hadron decays with a single unreconstructible final state particle, the decay kinematics can be solved up to a quadratic ambiguity, without any knowledge of the
...b
-hadron momentum. We present a method to infer the momenta of
b
-hadrons produced in hadron collider experiments using information from their reconstructed flight vectors. Our method is strictly agnostic to the decay itself, which implies that it can be validated with control samples of topologically similar decays to fully reconstructible final states. A multivariate regression algorithm based on the flight information provides a
b
-hadron momentum estimate with a resolution of around 60% which is sufficient to select the correct solution to the quadratic equation in around 70% of cases. This will improve the ability of hadron collider experiments to make differential decay rate measurements with semileptonic
b
-hadron decays.
Invasive freshwater fishes are known to readily hybridize with indigenous congeneric species, driving loss of unique and irreplaceable genetic resources. Here we reveal that newly discovered ...(2013–2016) evolutionarily significant populations of Korogwe tilapia (Oreochromis korogwe) from southern Tanzania are threatened by hybridization with the larger invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). We use a combination of morphology, microsatellite allele frequencies and whole genome sequences to show that O. korogwe from southern lakes (Nambawala, Rutamba and Mitupa) are distinct from geographically disjunct populations in northern Tanzania (Zigi River and Mlingano Dam). We also provide genetic evidence of O. korogwe × niloticus hybrids in three southern lakes and demonstrate heterogeneity in the extent of admixture across the genome. Finally, using the least admixed genomic regions we estimate that the northern and southern O. korogwe populations most plausibly diverged ~140,000 years ago, suggesting that the geographical separation of the northern and southern groups is not a result of a recent translocation, and instead these populations represent independent evolutionarily significant units. We conclude that these newly discovered and phenotypically unique cichlid populations are already threatened by hybridization with an invasive species, and propose that these irreplaceable genetic resources would benefit from conservation interventions.
see also the Perspective by Iva Popovic and Louis Bernatchez.
Abstract
Birds, mammals, and certain fishes, including tunas, opahs and lamnid sharks, are endothermic, conserving internally generated, metabolic heat to maintain body or tissue temperatures above ...that of the environment. Bluefin tunas are commercially important fishes worldwide, and some populations are threatened. They are renowned for their endothermy, maintaining elevated temperatures of the oxidative locomotor muscle, viscera, brain and eyes, and occupying cold, productive high-latitude waters. Less cold-tolerant tunas, such as yellowfin tuna, by contrast, remain in warm-temperate to tropical waters year-round, reproducing more rapidly than most temperate bluefin tuna populations, providing resiliency in the face of large-scale industrial fisheries. Despite the importance of these traits to not only fisheries but also habitat utilization and responses to climate change, little is known of the genetic processes underlying the diversification of tunas. In collecting and analyzing sequence data across 29,556 genes, we found that parallel selection on standing genetic variation is associated with the evolution of endothermy in bluefin tunas. This includes two shared substitutions in genes encoding glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme that contributes to thermogenesis in bumblebees and mammals, as well as four genes involved in the Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, β-oxidation, and superoxide removal. Using phylogenetic techniques, we further illustrate that the eight Thunnus species are genetically distinct, but found evidence of mitochondrial genome introgression across two species. Phylogeny-based metrics highlight conservation needs for some of these species.
A
bstract
The
ϒ
(1
S
)
μ
+
μ
−
invariant-mass distribution is investigated for a possible exotic meson state composed of two
b
quarks and two
b
¯
quarks,
X
b
b
¯
b
b
¯
. The analysis is based on a ...data sample of
pp
collisions recorded with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies
s
=
7
, 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.3 fb
−1
. No significant excess is found, and upper limits are set on the product of the production cross-section and the branching fraction as functions of the mass of the
X
b
b
¯
b
b
¯
state. The limits are set in the fiducial volume where all muons have pseudorapidity in the range 2
.
0
,
5
.
0, and the
X
b
b
¯
b
b
¯
state has rapidity in the range 2
.
0
,
4
.
5 and transverse momentum less than 15 GeV/
c
.
Despite 400-450 million years of independent evolution, a strong phenotypic convergence has occurred between two groups of fish: tunas and lamnid sharks. This convergence is characterized by ...centralization of red muscle, a distinctive swimming style (stiffened body powered through tail movements) and elevated body temperature (endothermy). Furthermore, both groups demonstrate elevated white muscle metabolic capacities. All these traits are unusual in fish and more likely evolved to support their fast-swimming, pelagic, predatory behavior. Here, we tested the hypothesis that their convergent evolution was driven by selection on a set of metabolic genes. We sequenced white muscle transcriptomes of six tuna, one mackerel, and three shark species, and supplemented this data set with previously published RNA-seq data. Using 26 species in total (including 7,032 tuna genes plus 1,719 shark genes), we constructed phylogenetic trees and carried out maximum-likelihood analyses of gene selection. We inferred several genes relating to metabolism to be under selection. We also found that the same one gene, glycogenin-1, evolved under positive selection independently in tunas and lamnid sharks, providing evidence of convergent selective pressures at gene level possibly underlying shared physiology.
Two-particle angular correlations are studied in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass energy of sNN=5 TeV, collected with the LHCb detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on ...data recorded in two beam configurations, in which either the direction of the proton or that of the lead ion is analysed. The correlations are measured in the laboratory system as a function of relative pseudorapidity, Δη, and relative azimuthal angle, Δϕ, for events in different classes of event activity and for different bins of particle transverse momentum. In high-activity events a long-range correlation on the near side, Δϕ≈0, is observed in the pseudorapidity range 2.0<η<4.9. This measurement of long-range correlations on the near side in proton-lead collisions extends previous observations into the forward region up to η=4.9. The correlation increases with growing event activity and is found to be more pronounced in the direction of the lead beam. However, the correlation in the direction of the lead and proton beams are found to be compatible when comparing events with similar absolute activity in the direction analysed.
The production of J/ψ mesons is studied in proton-lead collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=8.16 TeV with the LHCb detector at the LHC. The double differential cross-sections ...of prompt and nonprompt J/ψ production are measured as a function of the J/ψ transverse momentum and rapidity in the nucleon–nucleon centre-of-mass frame. Forward-to-backward ratios and nuclear modification factors are determined. The results are compared with theoretical calculations based on collinear factorisation using nuclear parton distribution functions, on the colour glass condensate or on coherent energy loss models.
A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding ...to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2
fb
-
1
, respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80
GeV
/
c
2
and lifetimes from 5 to 100
ps
are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23–198 GeV/
c
2
range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.
PDF
