Jordy Butter, PhD at Nikhef, will defend his thesis Tuesday 13 June 2023 at 15.45 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
“Exploring the magnitude and phase of b → u quark transitions through open-charmed beauty decays”
Scientists worldwide have dedicated themselves to understanding the fundamental nature of the universe, leading to the development of the Standard Model. This model explains the building blocks of matter and their interactions. Atoms, composed of electrons and a nucleus containing quarks, are the basic units of matter. The Standard Model includes six types of quarks, with stable matter consisting of up and down quarks.
The Standard Model allows for transitions between quark flavors through the weak interaction, but the probabilities of these transitions vary. One of the least probable transitions is the beauty to up quark transition (b→u), which is 70,000 times less likely than a down-to-up quark transition (d→u). The reasons behind the presence of only six quarks in the Standard Model and the varying probabilities of quark transitions remain unknown.
The quark sector of the Standard Model also explains a phenomenon called CP violation, which refers to the imbalance between matter and antimatter in the universe. Colliders produce equal amounts of matter and antimatter, but our observable universe consists mostly of matter. This implies a slight excess of matter over antimatter during the Big Bang, leading to the formation of our current universe. However, the observed CP violation in the Standard Model is insufficient to account for this matter-antimatter asymmetry, posing one of the fundamental questions of our time.
This thesis aims to measure the magnitude of the b→u quark transition (Vub) and its complex phase γ, a key parameter describing CP violation in the Standard Model. The research is conducted using the LHCb experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. The study focuses on b hadrons (Bd, Bs, and Lb) that decay into a Ds meson and a charged pion, kaon, or proton.
To quantify the branching fraction of Bd→DsPi and Lb→Dsp decays (proportional to Vub), the number of signal candidates is determined through reconstructed mass distributions using likelihood fits. Background contributions and selection requirements are considered, such as particle identification and classifiers to distinguish signal candidates from random combinations of final state tracks. The study finds that 1 in 52,000 Bd mesons and 1 in 79,000 Lb baryons decay into the respective final states. These decays, occurring through the b→u transition, are of interest due to their low probability and their potential for studying Vub.
Comparing yields of Bd→DPi and Bs→DsPi decays provides information on the relative production of Bs and Bd mesons. This knowledge is crucial for branching fraction measurements with Bs mesons. The similarity between Bd→DsPi and Cabibbo-suppressed Bd→DPi decays allows for the calculation of a parameter essential for determining CP violation in Bd→DPi decays.
Finally, the CP asymmetry in Bs→DsK decays is determined to obtain the complex phase γ. Decay-time dependent asymmetries arise due to the oscillation and interference of Bs and anti-Bs mesons. By simultaneously fitting mass and decay-time distributions, accounting for detector effects using Bs→DsPi decays, the CP parameters are measured. The results are currently blinded, pending review. However, the analysis shows a four-fold increase in signal candidates compared to previous studies, leading to an expected reduction in the statistical uncertainty of γ by a factor of two.
The anticipation for a more precise determination of γ using Bs→DsK decays is high, as it could help resolve discrepancies between the previous measurement using Bs→DsK decays and other determinations of γ.
“Exploring the magnitude and phase of b → u quark transitions through open-charmed beauty decays” (pdf)
The PhD defense will take place on Tuesday 13 June, at 15.45 in the Auditorium of the Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam.
The defense will be broadcasted online on the VU YouTube channel.
More information on the website of the VU.
Supervisor: prof. dr. M.H.M. Merk
Co-supervisor: dr. N. Tuning
Contact: Jordy Butter