We report the first measurement of the lepton forward-backward asymmetry ${\cal A}_{\rm FB}$ as a function of the squared four-momentum of the dilepton system, $q^2$, for the electroweak penguin process $B \rightarrow X_s \ell^+ \ell^-$ with a sum of exclusive final states, where $\ell$ is an electron or a muon and $X_s$ is a hadronic recoil system with an $s$ quark. The results are based on a data sample containing $772\times10^6$ $B\bar{B}$ pairs recorded at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^+ e^-$ collider. ${\cal A}_{\rm FB}$ for the inclusive $B \rightarrow X_s \ell^+ \ell^-$ is extrapolated from the sum of 10 exclusive $X_s$ states whose invariant mass is less than 2 GeV/$c^2$. For $q^2 > 10.2$ GeV$^2$/$c^2$, ${\cal A}_{\rm FB} < 0$ is excluded at the 2.3$\sigma$ level, where $\sigma$ is the standard deviation. For $q^2 < 4.3$ GeV$^2$/$c^2$, the result is within 1.8$\sigma$ of the Standard Model theoretical expectation.
Measurements of inclusive differential cross sections for charged pion and kaon production in electron-positron annihilation have been carried out at a center-of-mass energy of Q = 10.52 GeV. The measurements were performed with the Belle detector at the KEKB electron-positron collider using a data sample containing 113 million e+e- -> qqbar events, where q={u,d,s,c}. We present charge-integrated differential cross sections d\sigma_h+-/dz for h+- = pi+-, K+- as a function of the relative hadron energy z = 2*E_h / sqrt{s} from 0.2 to 0.98. The combined statistical and systematic uncertainties for pi+- (K+-) are 4% (4%) at z ~ 0.6 and 15% (24%) at z ~ 0.9. The cross sections are the first measurements of the z-dependence of pion and kaon production for z > 0.7 as well as the first precision cross section measurements at a center-of-mass energy far below the Z^0 resonance used by the experiments at LEP and SLC.
The cross sections of the processes $e^+ e^- \to K^+ K^- J/\psi$ and $K_S^0K_S^0J/\psi$ are measured via initial state radiation at center-of-mass energies between the threshold and 6.0~GeV using a data sample of 980~fb$^{-1}$ collected with the Belle detector on or near the $\Upsilon(nS)$ resonances, where $n=$1, 2, ..., 5. The cross sections for $e^+ e^- \to K^+ K^- J/\psi$ are at a few pb level and the average cross section for $e^+ e^- \to K_S^0K_S^0J/\psi$ is $1.8\pm 0.6 (\rm stat.)\pm 0.3 (\rm syst.)$~pb between 4.4 and 5.2~GeV. All of them are consistent with previously published results with improved precision. A search for resonant structures and associated intermediate states in the cross section of the process $e^+ e^- \to K^+ K^- J/\psi$ is performed.
We report results on studies of the e+e- annihilation into three-body Y(nS)pi+pi- (n=1,2,3) final states including measurements of cross sections and the full amplitude analysis. The cross sections measured at sqrt(s)=10.865 GeV and corrected for the initial state radiation are sigma(e+e-=>Y(1S)pi+pi-)=(2.27+-0.12+-0.14) pb, sigma(e+e-=>Y(2S)pi+pi-)=(4.07+-0.16+-0.45) pb, and sigma(e+e-=>Y(3S)pi+pi-)=(1.46+-0.09+-0.16) pb. Amplitude analysis of the three-body Y(nS)pi+pi- final states strongly favors I^G(J^P)=1^+(1^+) quantum-number assignments for the two bottomonium-like Zb+- states, recently observed in the Y(nS)pi+- and hb(mP)pi+- (m=1,2) decay channels. The results are obtained with a $121.4 1/fb data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider.
The differential cross section for the process $\gamma \gamma \to \eta \pi^0$ has been measured in the kinematic range $0.84 \GeV < W < 4.0 \GeV$, $|\cos \theta^*|<0.8$, where $W$ and $\theta^*$ are the energy and $\pi^0$ (or $\eta$) scattering angle, respectively, in the $\gamma\gamma$ center-of-mass system. The results are based on a 223 fb$^{-1}$ data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^+ e^-$ collider. Clear peaks due to the $a_0(980)$ and $a_2(1320)$ are visible. The differential cross sections are fitted in the energy region $0.9 \GeV < W < 1.46 \GeV$ to obtain the parameters of the $a_0(980)$. Its mass, width and $\Gamma_{\gamma \gamma} \B (\eta \pi^0)$ are measured to be $982.3 ^{+0.6}_{-0.7} ^{+3.1}_{-4.7} \MeV/c^2$, $75.6 \pm 1.6 ^{+17.4}_{-10.0} \MeV$ and $128 ^{+3}_{-2} ^{+502}_{-43} \eV$, respectively. The energy and angular dependences above 3.1 GeV are compared with those measured in the $\pi^0 \pi^0$ channel. The integrated cross section over $|\cos \theta^*|<0.8$ has a $W^{-n}$ dependence with $n = 10.5 \pm 1.2 \pm 0.5$, which is slightly larger than that for $\pi^0 \pi^0$. The differential cross sections show a $\sin^{-4} \theta^*$ dependence similar to $\gamma \gamma \to \pi^0 \pi^0$. The measured cross section ratio, $\sigma(\eta \pi^0)/\sigma(\pi^0 \pi^0) = 0.48 \pm 0.05 \pm 0.04$, is consistent with a QCD-based prediction.
We have measured pi+pi- and K+K- production in two-photon collisions using 87.7 /fb of data collected with the Belle detector at the asymmetric energy e+e- collider KEKB. The cross sections are measured to high precision in the two-photon center-of-mass energy (W) range between 2.4 GeV < W < 4.1 GeV and angular region |cos theta^{*}| < 0.6. The cross section ratio sigma(gammagamma->K+K-)/sigma(gammagamma->pi+pi-) is measured to be 0.89 +- 0.04(stat) +- 0.15(syst) in the range of 3.0 GeV < W < 4.1 GeV, where the ratio is energy independent. We observe a sin^{-4} theta^{*} behavior of the cross section in the same W range. Production of chi_{c0} and chi_{c2} mesons is observed in both gammagamma -> pi+pi- and gammagamma -> K+K- modes.
Using data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ collider, we measure the energy dependence of the $e^+e^- \to h_b(nP)\pi^+\pi^-$ $(n=1,2)$ cross sections from thresholds up to $11.02\,$GeV. We find clear $\Upsilon(10860)$ and $\Upsilon(11020)$ peaks with little or no continuum contribution. We study the resonant substructure of the $\Upsilon(11020) \to h_b(nP)\pi^+\pi^-$ transitions and find evidence that they proceed entirely via the intermediate isovector states $Z_b(10610)$ and $Z_b(10650)$. The relative fraction of these states is loosely constrained by the current data: the hypothesis that only $Z_b(10610)$ is produced is excluded at the level of 3.3 standard deviations, while the hypothesis that only $Z_b(10650)$ is produced is not excluded at a significant level.
The precise determination of the CKM matrix element $\left| V_{cb}\right|$ is important for carrying out tests of the flavour sector of the Standard Model. In this article we present a preliminary analysis of the $\bar B^0 \to D^{*\,+} \, \ell^- \, \bar \nu_\ell$ decay mode and its charge conjugate, selected in events that contain a fully reconstructed $B$-meson, using 772 million $e^+ \, e^- \to \Upsilon(4S) \to B \bar B$ events recorded by the Belle detector at KEKB. Unfolded differential decay rates of four kinematic variables fully describing the $\bar B^0 \to D^{*\,+} \, \ell^- \, \bar \nu_\ell$ decay in the $B$-meson rest frame are presented. We measure the total branching fraction $\mathcal{B}( \bar B^0 \to D^{*\,+} \, \ell^- \, \bar \nu_\ell ) = \left(4.95 \pm 0.11 \pm 0.22 \right) \times 10^{-2}$, where the errors are statistical and systematic respectively. The value of $\left|V_{cb} \right|$ is determined to be $\left( 37.4 \pm 1.3 \right) \times 10^{-3}$. Both results are in good agreement with current world averages.
We report a high-statistics measurement of the branching fraction for tau^- -> pi^- pi^0 nu_tau and the invariant mass spectrum of the produced pi^- pi^0 system using 72.2 fb^-1 of data recorded with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^+ e^- collider. The branching fraction obtained is (25.12 +/- 0.01 +/- 0.38)%, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. The unfolded pi^- pi^0 mass spectrum is used to determine resonance parameters for the rho(770), rho'(1450), and rho''(1700) mesons. We also use this spectrum to estimate the hadronic (2pi) contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (a_{mu}^{pipi}). Our result for a_{mu}^{pipi} integrated over the mass range sqrt{s} = 2m_{pi} - 1.8 GeV/c^2 is a_{mu}^{pipi} = (519.1 +/- 1.5 (exp) +/- 2.6 (Br) +/- 2.5 (isospin)) x 10^{-10}, where the first error is due to the experimental uncertainties, the second is due to the uncertainties in the branching fractions and the third is due to the uncertainties in the isospin-violating corrections.
The cross section for $e^+ e^- \to \pi^+ \pi^- J/\psi$ between 3.8 GeV and 5.5 GeV is measured with a 967 fb$^{-1}$ data sample collected by the Belle detector at or near the $\Upsilon(nS)$ ($n = 1,\ 2,\ ...,\ 5$) resonances. The Y(4260) state is observed, and its resonance parameters are determined. In addition, an excess of $\pi^+ \pi^- J/\psi$ production around 4 GeV is observed. This feature can be described by a Breit-Wigner parameterization with properties that are consistent with the Y(4008) state that was previously reported by Belle. In a study of $Y(4260) \to \pi^+ \pi^- J/\psi$ decays, a structure is observed in the $M(\pi^\pm\jpsi)$ mass spectrum with $5.2\sigma$ significance, with mass $M=(3894.5\pm 6.6\pm 4.5) {\rm MeV}/c^2$ and width $\Gamma=(63\pm 24\pm 26)$ MeV/$c^{2}$, where the errors are statistical and systematic, respectively. This structure can be interpreted as a new charged charmonium-like state.
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