# School of Physics - Theses

## Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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Measurement of the branching fractions of $\bar{B}^{0}\to D^{*+} h^{-}$ decays at the Belle experiment and development of a global particle vertex fitting algorithm for Belle~II
Krohn, Jo-Frederik ( 2021)
In this thesis high precision QCD-factorisation tests were performed. The branching ratios B(B → D π ) = (2.67±0.02±0.09)×10 and B(B → D K ) = (2.27±0.06±0.08)×10−4 were measured using (771.58±10.56)×106 B-meson pairs recorded by the Belle experiment. Both values are in tension with the theoretical expectation. The ratio of the branching ratio is measured in a way that allows for the cancellation of the systematic uncertainties arising from the D∗-meson reconstruction; the value of RK/π = B(B → D K )/B(B → D π ) = (8.41±0.24±0.13)×10 was found. Both B(B → D π ) and B(B → D K ) have shown deviations from the prediction, this suggests that the estimation of the Feynman diagrams contributing to the predictions may be inaccurate. The new measured branching ratios were used to perform a high precision QCD factorisation test by measuring ratios with respect to semi-leptonic branching ratios at fixed momentum transfers for different particle species. A deviation for the ratio Γ(B → D h )/dΓ(B → D l ν ̄)/dq of 16% from theoretical predictions was found, suggesting large non-factorisable contributions and/or new physics contributions. Furthermore, SU(3)-symmetry was tested by measuring ratios for pions and kaons of a21(K)/a21(π) = 1.05±0.05 as well as for different particle species. The found value is consistent with unity and therefore no evidence for SU(3)-symmetry breaking effects was found in this test to 5% precision. Thus, for RK/π one can rule out SU(3)- symmetry breaking effects as an explanation for the deviation. Finally, a new vertex fitting algorithm and its implementation for the Belle II software framework was reported. It can improve D∗-meson reconstruction, is com- putationally very efficient and is now the standard vertex fitting tool of the Belle II experiment.
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Investigation of B+ mesons decay to K+K−π+ at the Belle experiment
Hsu, Chia-Ling ( 2017)
Charmless decays of B mesons to three charged hadrons are suppressed in the Standard Model, and thus provide an opportunity to search for physics beyond the Standard Model. An unexpected excess and a large CP asymmetry in the low invariant mass spectrum of the K+K− system for the decay B+ → K+K−π+ were observed by BaBar and LHCb in recent years. We present the measurements of branching fraction and direct CP asymmetry of the charmless decay B+ → K+K−π+. This analysis is performed on a data sample of 772 × 10^6BB pairs produced at the Υ(4S) resonance by the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e− collider and collected by the Belle detector. We perform a blind analysis, examining signal reconstruc- tion and background suppression with Monte Carlo simulated samples, and extract signal yield and direct CP asymmetry with a 2D extended maximum likelihood fit to the data. The measured branching fraction and direct CP asymmetry are B(B+ → K+K−π+) = (5.38 ± 0.40 ± 0.35) × 10^−6 and ACP = −0.170 ± 0.073 ± 0.017, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. These results are in agreement with the current world average. We extract the branching fraction and direct CP asymmetry as a function of the K+K− invariant mass. The K+K− invariant mass distribution of the signal candidates shows an excess in the region below 1.5 GeV/c^2, which is consistent with the previous studies from BaBar and LHCb. Strong evidence of a large direct CP asymmetry of −0.90 ± 0.17 ± 0.03 with 4.8σ significance is found in the K+K− low-invariant-mass region.
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B0→K0π0 and direct CP violation at Belle
Hawthorne-Gonzalvez, Anton ( 2017)
Rare B-meson decays such as the B0 → Ksπ0 which proceed without a charm quark provide a probe for physics beyond the standard model. This decay proceeds mainly via the b → s penguin transition, with the b → u transition being colour suppressed, allowing CP-violating effects to be observable. The asymmetric e+e− KEKB collider and the Belle detector provide the large luminosity and data collection required to observe these rare B decays. Methods to reduce the large qq backgrounds are investigated. The use of optimised neural networks using TensorFlow shows a significant improvement compared to the commonly used NeuroBayes software. Techniques for reducing correlations between variables introduced by TensorFlow are also investigated, proving that the use of adversarial neural networks can provide an improved background suppression as compared to NeuroBayes, whilst minimising correlations introduced by the neural network. An improved method of measuring the direct CP violation is introduced. Using Monte Carlo data with sample sizes corresponding to the full Belle datatset of (771.581 ± 10.566) × 106 BB events, the statistical uncertainty in ACP using this method is reduced from the latest Belle result of 0.13 to 0.1035 ± 0.0032. This method would also provide an up to date measurement on B(B0 → K0π0).
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Measurement of the branching fraction of B0 → π0 π0 decays using the final Belle dataset
JULIUS, T'MIR ( 2015)
This thesis presents a measurement of the branching fraction of B0 → π0 π0 using data collected by the Belle experiment based at the KEKB accelerator in Tsukuba, Japan. This study is performed using the final and complete Belle dataset of 711 fb^−1, comprising about 771 × 10^6 BB pairs collected at the Υ(4S) resonance. The measurement of B0 → π0 π0 is a vital component of the study into the B → ππ system, through which a measurement of the CP violation parameter φ2 (also called α) can be made. This analysis makes use of an artificial neural network to improve continuum suppression as well as making use of timing information pertaining to photons detected in the Belle electromagnetic calorimeter to help distinguish between signal and background originating from QED backgrounds. Photon reconstruction was enhanced through the recovery of photons that converted within the inner detector. The timing information for 20% of the Belle dataset was recovered specifically for the use of this analysis. This is the first time a branching fraction for B → π0 π0 has been presented using an artificial neural network and such QED suppression techniques. The branching fraction of B → π0 π0 is measured to be Br(B → π0 π0 ) = (1.22 +0.28 −0.27,+0.10 −0.12 ) × 10^−6.