Flavour physics in the LHC era

These lectures give a topical review of heavy flavour physics, in particular \CP violation and rare decays, from an experimental point of view. They describe the ongoing motivation to study heavy flavour physics in the LHC era, the current status of the field emphasising key results from previous experiments, some selected topics in which new results are expected in the near future, and a brief look at future projects.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures. Lectures given at the 69th Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics in St. Andrews, UK, 2012. v2 with minor corrections for proof

What We've Learned from Heavy Flavour Experiments Since CKM2010

A summary of the latest experimental results in heavy flavour physics is presented.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Proceedings of CKM 2012, the 7th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle, University of Cincinnati, USA, 28 September - 2 October 201

Overview of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix†

The current status of the determination of the elements of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa quark-mixing matrix is reviewed. Tensions in the global fits are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the progress in, and prospects for, measurements of CP violation effect

Tetraquarks and pentaquarks

Greig Cowan and Tim Gershon describe new types of matter called tetraquarks and pentaquarks, and discuss the outlook for understanding these particles.Comment: Published as a Physics World Discovery eBook, by IoP Publishing, 2018. Available online at http://iopscience.iop.org/book/978-0-7503-1593-7, IoP Publishing 2018. ISBN: 978-0-7503-1593-

Numerical Updates of Lifetimes and Mixing Parameters of B Mesons

We update the Standard-Model predictions for several quantities related to Bs−B¯s and Bd−B¯d mixing. The mass and width differences in the Bs system read ΔMSMs=(17.3±2.6)ps−1 and ΔΓSMs=(0.087±0.021)ps−1, respectively. The CP asymmetries in flavour-specific decays are as,SMfs=(1.9±0.3)⋅10−5 and ad,SMfs=−(4.1±0.6)⋅10−4. We further critically discuss the sensitivity of ΔΓd to new physics and the uncertainties in the relation between ΔΓs and the branching fraction of Bs→D(∗)s+D(∗)s−. Then we present a numerical update of the average width Γs in the Bs system and correlate Γs with the B+-Bd lifetime ratio. Finally we summarise the key results of our recent global analysis with the CKMfitter collaboration addressing new physics in B−B¯-mixing. In an appropriately defined scenario parametrising new physics in B−B¯-mixing by two complex parameters Δd and Δs the Standard-Model point {Δd=Δs=1} is disfavoured by 3.6 standard deviations

Mixing-Induced CP Violation in B -> P_1 P_2 gamma in Search of Clean New Physics Signals

We show that in a decay of the form B_d or B_s-> P_1 P_2 gamma (where P_1 and P_2 are pseudoscalar mesons), through a flavor changing dipole transition, time dependent oscillations can reveal the presence of physics beyond the Standard Model. If P_1 and P_2 are CP eigenstates (e.g. as in B_d -> K_S pi0 gamma), the oscillation is independent of the resonance structure. Thus data from resonances as well as from nonresonant decays can be included. This may significantly enhance the sensitivity to new physics of the method. If P_1 is a charged particle, and P_2 its anti-particle (e.g. as in B_d -> pi+ pi- gamma), one has the additional advantage that both the magnitude and the weak phase of any new physics contribution can be determined from a study of the angular distribution. These signals offer excellent ways to detect new physics because they are suppressed in the Standard Model. We also show that the potential contamination of these signals originating from the Standard Model annihilation diagram gives rise to photons with, to a very good approximation, the same helicity as the dominant penguin graph and thus causes no serious difficulty.Comment: 13 pages 4 figures Version 4: We have added a para (2nd para below Eqn.39, Section VII) and a new Ref. (#20