Observation of a $$ {\varLambda}_b^0 $$ − $$ {\overline{\varLambda}}_b^0 $$ production asymmetry in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 7 and 8 TeV

This article presents differential measurements of the asymmetry between $$ {\varLambda}_b^0 $$ Λ b 0 and $$ {\overline{\varLambda}}_b^0 $$ Λ ¯ b 0 baryon production rates in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 7 and 8 TeV collected with the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1. The $$ {\varLambda}_b^0 $$ Λ b 0 baryons are reconstructed through the inclusive semileptonic decay $$ {\varLambda}_b^0 $$ Λ b 0 → $$ {\varLambda}_c^{+} $$ Λ c + μ−$$ \overline{\nu} $$ ν ¯ μX. The production asymmetry is measured both in intervals of rapidity in the range 2.15 < y < 4.10 and transverse momentum in 2 < pT< 27 GeV/c. The results are found to be incompatible with symmetric production with a significance of 5.8 standard deviations for both $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 7 and 8 TeV data, assuming no CP violation in the decay. There is evidence for a trend as a function of rapidity with a significance of 4 standard deviations. Comparisons to predictions from hadronisation models in Pythia and heavy-quark recombination are provided. This result constitutes the first observation of a particle-antiparticle asymmetry in b-hadron production at LHC energies.

The role of right-handed neutrinos in b → cτ (πντ, ρντ, μ$$ \overline{\nu} $$μντ)$$ \overline{\nu} $$τ from visible final-state kinematics

In the context of lepton flavor universality violation (LFUV) studies, we fully derive a general tensor formalism to investigate the role that left- and right-handed neutrino new-physics (NP) terms may have in b → cτ$$ \overline{\nu} $$ ν ¯ τ transitions. We present, for several extensions of the Standard Model (SM), numerical results for the Λb → Λcτ$$ \overline{\nu} $$ ν ¯ τ semileptonic decay, which is expected to be measured with precision at the LHCb. This reaction can be a new source of experimental information that can help to confirm, or maybe rule out, LFUV presently seen in $$ \overline{B} $$ B ¯ meson decays. The present study analyzes observables that can help in distinguishing between different NP scenarios that otherwise provide very similar results for the branching ratios, which are our currently best hints for LFUV. Since the τ lepton is very short-lived, we consider three subsequent τ-decay modes, two hadronic πντ and ρντ and one leptonic μ$$ \overline{\nu} $$ ν ¯ μντ, which have been previously studied for $$ \overline{B} $$ B ¯ → D(*) decays. Within the tensor formalism that we have developed in previous works, we re-obtain the expressions for the differential decay width written in terms of visible (experimentally accessible) variables of the massive particle created in the τ decay. There are seven different τ angular and spin asymmetries that are defined in this way and that can be extracted from experiment. Those asymmetries provide observables that can help in constraining possible SM extensions.

Radiative Corrections to Semileptonic Beta Decays: Progress and Challenges

We review some recent progress in the theory of electroweak radiative corrections in semileptonic decay processes. The resurrection of the so-called Sirlin’s representation based on current algebra relations permits a clear separation between the perturbatively-calculable and incalculable pieces in the O(GFα) radiative corrections. The latter are expressed as compact hadronic matrix elements that allow systematic non-perturbative analysis such as dispersion relation and lattice QCD. This brings substantial improvements to the precision of the electroweak radiative corrections in semileptonic decays of pion, kaon, free neutron and JP=0+ nuclei that are important theory inputs in precision tests of the Standard Model. Unresolved issues and future prospects are discussed.

The $$ \overline{B} $$ → π form factors from QCD and their impact on |Vub|

We revisit light-cone sum rules with pion distribution amplitudes to determine the full set of local $$ \overline{B} $$ B ¯ → π form factors. To this end, we determine all duality threshold parameters from a Bayesian fit for the first time. Our results, obtained at small momentum transfer q2, are extrapolated to large q2 where they agree with precise lattice QCD results. We find that a modification to the commonly used BCL parametrization is crucial to interpolate the scalar form factor between the two q2 regions. We provide numerical results for the form factor parameters — including their covariance — based on simultaneous fit of all three form factors to both the sum rule and lattice QCD results. Our predictions for the form factors agree well with measurements of the q2 spectrum of the semileptonic decay $$ {\overline{B}}^0\to {\pi}^{+}{\mathrm{\ell}}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\mathrm{\ell}} $$ B ¯ 0 → π + ℓ − ν ¯ ℓ . From the world average of the latter we obtain |Vub| = (3.77 ± 0.15) · 10−3, which is in agreement with the most recent inclusive determination at the 1 σ level.

Semileptonic decay of $$\varOmega _c^0 \rightarrow \varXi ^- l^+ \nu _l$$ from light-cone sum rules

The weak decay process of $$\varOmega _c$$ Ω c to $$\varXi $$ Ξ is calculated in the method of QCD light-cone sum rule. The decay width of $$\varOmega _c^0 \rightarrow \varXi ^- l^+ \nu _l$$ Ω c 0 → Ξ - l + ν l and its decay branching ratio are also calculated with the form factors from this work’s calculation. To the twist-6 distribution amplitudes, the form factors $$f_1=0.66\pm 0.02, f_2=-0.76\pm 0.03, g_1=0.06\pm 0.01$$ f 1 = 0.66 ± 0.02 , f 2 = - 0.76 ± 0.03 , g 1 = 0.06 ± 0.01 and $$g_2=-0.44\pm 0.01$$ g 2 = - 0.44 ± 0.01 are given at zero recoil point. The result of the semileptonic decay width of $$\varOmega _c^0 \rightarrow \varXi ^-l^+\nu _l$$ Ω c 0 → Ξ - l + ν l is $$\varGamma =(7.51\pm 0.36)\times 10^{-15}~\mathrm{{GeV}}$$ Γ = ( 7.51 ± 0.36 ) × 10 - 15 GeV , and the prediction of the decay branching ratio $$Br(\varOmega _c^0\rightarrow \varXi ^-l^+\nu _l)=(3.06\pm 0.15)\times 10^{-3}$$ B r ( Ω c 0 → Ξ - l + ν l ) = ( 3.06 ± 0.15 ) × 10 - 3 . These results fit well with other works, and the decay width and branching ratio are improved. This not too small branching ratio gives a good direction to explore this decay channel in the future experiments.

A comprehensive study on the semileptonic decay of heavy flavor mesons

The semileptonic decay of heavy flavor mesons offers a clean environment for extraction of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements, which describes the CP-violating and flavor changing process in the Standard Model. The involved form factors where the dynamical information is encoded play an essential role in achieving any conclusive statement. That is, the knowledge of the form factors should be under good control, requiring one to examine more observables in addition to the branching fraction. In this paper, we provide the mean value and the q2-dependent shape for further observables [differential decay distribution (dΓ/dq2), forward-backward asymmetry $$ \left({\mathcal{A}}_{FB}^{ls}\right) $$ A FB ls , longitudinal $$ \left({P}_L^l\right) $$ P L l and transverse $$ \left({P}_T^l\right) $$ P T l polarization of a charged lepton, longitudinal polarization of a vector meson in the final state $$ \left({F}_L^l(V)\right) $$ F L l V , leptonic convexity parameter $$ \left({C}_F^l\right) $$ C F l , and trigonometric moments $$ \left({W}_i^l\right) $$ W i l in the decay of D(s) and B(s) to P/Vl+νl (l = e, μ or τ)], based on the predictions of the relevant form factors from the covariant light-front quark model. P and V denote the pseudoscalar and vector meson, respectively. As a comparison, we find a good agreement with the results from the covariant confining quark model and the relativistic quark model in the literature. As it has been observed that the $$ {P}_L^l $$ P L l and $$ {F}_L^l(V) $$ F L l V are crucial quantities to discriminate various New Physics models, the reexamination of these observables from a different method is also essential and necessary.

PHENIX heavy flavor highlights

Heavy flavor production is a sensitive probe of the initial gluon density in the nucleon and is modified by the entire evolution of the hot quark and gluon medium created in high-energy nucleus–nucleus collisions. Besides, it is a process that can be calculated by perturbative QCD because of their large mass. The PHENIX experiment at RHIC studied the heavy flavor productions for a broad momentum and rapidity ranges using single leptons from the semileptonic decay of charm and bottom hadrons, and dileptons from [Formula: see text] decays in [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]A, and Au [Formula: see text] Au collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]200[Formula: see text]GeV. In these proceedings, the recent experimental results in [Formula: see text], Au [Formula: see text] Au, and the small collision systems are presented and the heavy flavor productions and their modifications are discussed.