Precision weak boson production cross-section measurements at LHCb

Precision measurements of weak boson production cross-sections at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) allow the Standard Model to be tested and parton distribution functions to be constrained. To achieve this goal an absolute precision of 2% or better is desirable on the experimental measurement. We present how such accuracy on the luminosity determination at a hadron collider is achieved in the LHCb experiment. The LHCb measurements are unique in that they combine two methods, the classical van der Meer method and a novel method based on beam-gas interactions. The impact of these precise luminosity measurements on the LHCb analyses of electroweak production measurements are presented

Spin dependence of the antinucleon-nucleon interaction

The status of our present knowledge on the antinucleon-nucleon interaction at low and medium energies is discussed. Special emphasis is put on aspects related to its spin dependence which are relevant for experiments planned by the PAX collaboration. Predictions for the spin-dependent antiproton-proton cross sections sigma_1 and sigma_2 are presented, utilizing antinucleon-nucleon potential models developed by the Juelich group, and compared to results based on the amplitudes of the Nijmegen partial-wave analysis.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 19th International Spin Physics Symposium, September 27 - October 2, 2010, Juelich, German

Spin-dependent pbar-d cross sections at low and intermediate energies

Antiproton-deuteron (${\bar p}d$) scattering is calculated at beam energies below 300 MeV within the Glauber approach, utilizing the amplitudes of the J\"ulich $\bar N N$ models. A good agreement is obtained with available experimental data on upolarized differential and integrated $\bar p d$ cross sections. Predictions for polarized total ${\bar p}d$ cross sections are presented, obtained within the single scattering approximation including Coulomb-nuclear interference effects. It is found that the total longitudinal and transversal ${\bar p}d$ cross sections are comparable in absolute value to those for ${\bar p}p$ scattering. The kinetics of polarization buildup is considered.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in proceedings of the 19th international Spin Physics Symposium, September 27 - October 2, 2010, Juelich, German

Measurement of the Spin-Dependence of the pbar-p Interaction at the AD-Ring

We propose to use an internal polarized hydrogen storage cell gas target in the AD ring to determine for the first time the two total spin-dependent pbar-p cross sections sigma_1 and sigma_2 at antiproton beam energies in the range from 50 to 450 MeV. The data obtained are of interest by themselves for the general theory of pbar-p interactions since they will provide a first experimental constraint of the spin-spin dependence of the nucleon-antinucleon potential in the energy range of interest. In addition, measurements of the polarization buildup of stored antiprotons are required to define the optimum parameters of a future, dedicated Antiproton Polarizer Ring (APR), intended to feed a double-polarized asymmetric pbar-p collider with polarized antiprotons. Such a machine has recently been proposed by the PAX collaboration for the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. The availability of an intense stored beam of polarized antiprotons will provide access to a wealth of single- and double-spin observables, thereby opening a new window on QCD spin physics.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, proposal submitted to the SPS committee of CER

Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma)

The ratio of branching fractions of the radiative B decays B0 -> K*0 gamma and Bs0 -> phi gamma has been measured using 0.37 fb-1 of pp collisions at a centre of mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. The value obtained is BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) = 1.12 +/- 0.08 ^{+0.06}_{-0.04} ^{+0.09}_{-0.08}, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third is associated to the ratio of fragmentation fractions fs/fd. Using the world average for BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma) = (4.33 +/- 0.15) x 10^{-5}, the branching fraction BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) is measured to be (3.9 +/- 0.5) x 10^{-5}, which is the most precise measurement to date.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, 2 table

Observation of two new Ξb−\Xi_b^- baryon resonances

Two structures are observed close to the kinematic threshold in the $\Xi_b^0 \pi^-$ mass spectrum in a sample of proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb experiment. In the quark model, two baryonic resonances with quark content $bds$ are expected in this mass region: the spin-parity $J^P = \frac{1}{2}^+$ and $J^P=\frac{3}{2}^+$ states, denoted $\Xi_b^{\prime -}$ and $\Xi_b^{*-}$. Interpreting the structures as these resonances, we measure the mass differences and the width of the heavier state to be $m(\Xi_b^{\prime -}) - m(\Xi_b^0) - m(\pi^{-}) = 3.653 \pm 0.018 \pm 0.006$ MeV$/c^2$, $m(\Xi_b^{*-}) - m(\Xi_b^0) - m(\pi^{-}) = 23.96 \pm 0.12 \pm 0.06$ MeV$/c^2$, $\Gamma(\Xi_b^{*-}) = 1.65 \pm 0.31 \pm 0.10$ MeV, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The width of the lighter state is consistent with zero, and we place an upper limit of $\Gamma(\Xi_b^{\prime -}) < 0.08$ MeV at 95% confidence level. Relative production rates of these states are also reported.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Search for CP violation in D+→K−K+π+D^{+} \to K^{-}K^{+}\pi^{+} decays

A model-independent search for direct CP violation in the Cabibbo suppressed decay $D^+ \to K^- K^+\pi^+$ in a sample of approximately 370,000 decays is carried out. The data were collected by the LHCb experiment in 2010 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35 pb$^{-1}$. The normalized Dalitz plot distributions for $D^+$ and $D^-$ are compared using four different binning schemes that are sensitive to different manifestations of CP violation. No evidence for CP asymmetry is found.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Target Section for Spin Filtering Studies at COSY and CERN/AD

The PAX (Polarized Antiproton eXperiment) experiment aims to polarize a stored antiproton beam using the High Energy Storage Ring (HESR) of the FAIR at GSI (Darmstadt/Germany). The polarisation build up will be achieved by means of spin filtering with a polarized atomic hydrogen (deuterium) gas target. The feasibility of spin filtering with protons has been demonstrated in the FILTEX experiment [2]. The first verification of antiprotons polarisation using spin filtering will be carried out at AD/CERN [3]. The setup requires a polarized internal gas target (PIT) surrounded with Silicon detectors. In this talk an overview of the target configuration necessary for spin filtering is presented. The setup and working principle of the PIT including an Atomic Beam Source (ABS), the target cell and a Breit-Rabi Polarimeter (BRP), is discussed. Furthermore some preliminary results of the BRP calibration are presented

Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0→K∗0μ+μ−

The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0→ K ∗0 μ + μ − are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions