Test of lepton universality in beauty-quark decays

The LHCb collaboration Aaij, Roel ; Abellán Beteta, Carlos ; Ackernley, Thomas ; et al.
Nature Phys. 18 (2022) 277-282, 2022.
Inspire Record 1852846 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.106855

The Standard Model of particle physics currently provides our best description of fundamental particles and their interactions. The theory predicts that the different charged leptons, the electron, muon and tau, have identical electroweak interaction strengths. Previous measurements have shown a wide range of particle decays are consistent with this principle of lepton universality. This article presents evidence for the breaking of lepton universality in beauty-quark decays, with a significance of 3.1 standard deviations, based on proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The measurements are of processes in which a beauty meson transforms into a strange meson with the emission of either an electron and a positron, or a muon and an antimuon. If confirmed by future measurements, this violation of lepton universality would imply physics beyond the Standard Model, such as a new fundamental interaction between quarks and leptons.

1 data table

Likelihood function from the fit to the nonresonant $B^+$ --> $K^+\ell^+ \ell^−$ candidates profiled as a function of $R_K$.


Measurement of the $B^{\pm}$ production cross-section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 and 13 TeV

The LHCb collaboration Aaij, Roel ; Adeva, Bernardo ; Adinolfi, Marco ; et al.
JHEP 12 (2017) 026, 2017.
Inspire Record 1630633 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.149528

The production of $B^{\pm}$ mesons is studied in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 13 TeV, using $B^{\pm}\rightarrow J/\psi K^{\pm}$ decays and data samples corresponding to 1.0 fb$^{-1}$ and 0.3 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The production cross-sections summed over both charges and integrated over the transverse momentum range $0<p_{\text{T}}< 40$ GeV/$c$ and the rapidity range $2.0<y<4.5$ are measured to be $\sigma(pp \rightarrow B^{\pm} X, \sqrt{s} = \text{7 TeV}) = 43.0 \pm 0.2 \pm 2.5 \pm 1.7\mu b,$ $\sigma(pp \rightarrow B^{\pm} X, \sqrt{s} = \text{13 TeV}) = 86.6 \pm 0.5 \pm 5.4 \pm 3.4\mu b,$ where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, and the third are due to the limited knowledge of the $B^{\pm}\rightarrow J/\psi K^{\pm}$ branching fraction. The ratio of the cross-section at 13 TeV to that at 7 TeV is determined to be $2.02\pm0.02\text{(stat)}\pm0.12\text{(syst)}$. Differential cross-sections are also reported as functions of $p_{\text{T}}$ and $y$. All results are in agreement with theoretical calculations based on the state-of-art fixed next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics.

4 data tables

Measured B$^\pm$ double-differential cross-section (in units of nb) at 7 TeV, as a function of $p_T$ and $y$.

Measured B$^\pm$ double-differential cross-section (in units of nb) at 13 TeV, as a function of $p_T$ and $y$.

Measured B$^\pm$ differential cross-sections (in units of nb) at 7 TeV and 13 TeV as functions of $p_T$ in the range $2.0<y<4.5$. The cross-section ratio between 13 TeV and 7TeV is also presented.

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Measurement of $B_c^+$ production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8$ TeV

The LHCb collaboration Aaij, Roel ; Adeva, Bernardo ; Adinolfi, Marco ; et al.
Phys.Rev.Lett. 114 (2015) 132001, 2015.
Inspire Record 1327230 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.22229

Production of $B_c^+$ mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV is studied with data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $2.0~{\rm fb}^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb experiment. The ratio of production cross-sections times branching fractions between the $B_c^+\to J/\psi \pi^+$ and $B^+\to J/\psi K^+$ decays is measured as a function of transverse momentum and rapidity in the regions $0 < p_{\rm T} < 20~{\rm GeV}/c$ and $2.0 < y < 4.5$. The ratio in this kinematic range is measured to be $(0.683\pm0.018\pm0.009)\%$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.

3 data tables

Double differential production ratio $R(p_T, y)$ in bins of $p_T$ and $y$.

Differential production ratio $R(p_T)$ in bins of $p_T$ and integrated over $2.0 < y <4.5$ range.

Differential production ratio $R(y)$ in bins of $y$ and integrated over $0 < p_T < 20$ $GeV/c$ range.


Measurement of B meson production cross-sections in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV

The LHCb collaboration Aaij, R ; Abellan Beteta, C ; Adeva, B ; et al.
JHEP 08 (2013) 117, 2013.
Inspire Record 1238809 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.74446

The production cross-sections of B mesons are measured in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, using data collected with the LHCb detector corresponding to a integrated luminosity of 0.36 fb-1. The B+, B0 and Bs0 mesons are reconstructed in the exclusive decays B+ -> J/psi K+, B0 -> J/psi K*0 and Bs0 -> J/psi phi, with J/psi -> mu+ mu-, K*0 -> K+ pi- and phi -> K+ K-. The differential cross-sections are measured as functions of B meson transverse momentum pT and rapidity y, in the range 0 < pT < 40 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The integrated cross-sections in the same pT and y ranges, including charge-conjugate states, are measured to be sigma(pp -> B+ + X) = 38.9 +- 0.3 (stat.) +- 2.5 (syst.) +- 1.3 (norm.) mub, sigma(pp -> B0 + X) = 38.1 +- 0.6 (stat.) +- 3.7 (syst.) +- 4.7 (norm.) mub, sigma(pp -> Bs0 + X) = 10.5 +- 0.2 (stat.) +- 0.8 (syst.) +- 1.0 (norm.) mub, where the third uncertainty arises from the pre-existing branching fraction measurements.

10 data tables

Integrated cross sections for B mesons in the defined kinematic range. The second (sys) uncertainty is the normalisation uncertainty arising from the pre-existing branching fraction measurements.

Double Differential distributions for B0 production.

Double differential distributions for B+ production.

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Measurement of the B+- production cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

The LHCb collaboration Aaij, R. ; Abellan Beteta, C. ; Adeva, B. ; et al.
JHEP 04 (2012) 093, 2012.
Inspire Record 1089993 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.58912

The production of B+- mesons in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV is studied using 35 pb-1 of data collected by the LHCb detector. The B+- mesons are reconstructed exclusively in the B+- -&gt; J/psi K+- mode, with J/psi -&gt; mu+ mu-. The differential production cross-section is measured as a function of the B+- transverse momentum in the fiducial region 0 &lt; pT &lt; 40 GeV/c and with rapidity 2.0 &lt; y &lt; 4.5. The total cross-section, summing up B+ and B-, is measured to be sigma(pp -&gt; B+- X, 0 &lt; pT &lt; 40 GeV/c, 2.0 &lt; y &lt; 4.5) = 41.4 +- 1.5 (stat.) +- 3.1 (syst.) mub.

2 data tables

Integrated B+- production cross section for 0<PT<40 GeV and 2.0<Y<4.5.

Differential B+- production cross section as a function of PT for rapidity 2.0 to 4.5.