BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Measurement of D-0-(D)over-bar(0) Mixing Parameters Using D-0 -> K-S(0)pi(+) pi(-) and D-0 -> (KSK+K-)-K-0 Decays. Phys. Rev. Lett., 105(8), 081803–7pp.
Abstract: We report a direct measurement of D-0-(D) over bar (0) mixing parameters through a time-dependent amplitude analysis of the Dalitz plots of D-0 -> K-S(0)pi(+)pi(-) and, for the first time, D-0 -> (KSK+K-)-K-0 decays. The low-momentum pion pi(+)(s) in the decay D*(+) -> D-0 pi(+)(s) identifies the flavor of the neutral D meson at its production. Using 468.5 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) colliding-beam data recorded near root s = 10.6 by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy collider at SLAC, we measure the mixing parameters x = [1.6 + 2.3(stat) +/- 1.2(syst) +/- 0.8(model)] X 10(-3), and y = [5.7 +/- 2.0(stat) +/- 1.3(syst) +/- 0.7(model)] X 10(-3). These results provide the best measurement to date of x and y. The knowledge of the value of x, in particular, is crucial for understanding the origin of mixing.
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NEXT Collaboration, Carcel, S., Carrion, J. V., Felkai, R., Kekic, M., Lopez-March, N., et al. (2020). Mitigation of backgrounds from cosmogenic Xe-137 in xenon gas experiments using He-3 neutron capture. J. Phys. G, 47(7), 075001–17pp.
Abstract: Xe-136 is used as the target medium for many experiments searching for 0 nu beta beta. Despite underground operation, cosmic muons that reach the laboratory can produce spallation neutrons causing activation of detector materials. A potential background that is difficult to veto using muon tagging comes in the form of Xe-137 created by the capture of neutrons on Xe-136. This isotope decays via beta decay with a half-life of 3.8 min and a Q(beta) of similar to 4.16 MeV. This work proposes and explores the concept of adding a small percentage of He-3 to xenon as a means to capture thermal neutrons and reduce the number of activations in the detector volume. When using this technique we find the contamination from Xe-137 activation can be reduced to negligible levels in tonne and multi-tonne scale high pressure gas xenon neutrinoless double beta decay experiments running at any depth in an underground laboratory.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Search for b -> u transitions in B- -> DK- and D*K- decays. Phys. Rev. D, 82(7), 072006–18pp.
Abstract: We report results from an updated study of the suppressed decays We report results from an updated study of the suppressed decays B- -> DK- and B- -> D*K- followed by D -> K+ pi(-), where D-(*()0) indicates a D-(*()0)or a (D) over bar (()*()0) meson, and D* -> D pi(0) or D* -> D gamma. These decays are sensitive to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity triangle angle gamma due to interference between the b -> c transition B- -> D-(*K-)0(-) followed by the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decay D-0 -> K+ pi(-), and the b -> u transition B- -> (D) over bar (()*()0) K- followed by the Cabibbo-favored decay (D) over bar (0) -> K+ pi(-). We also report an analysis of the decay B- -> D-(*())pi(-) with the D decaying into the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed mode D -> K+ pi(-). Our results are based on 467 x 10(6) Gamma(4S) -> BB- decays collected with the BABAR detector at SLAC. We measure the ratios R-(*()) of the suppressed ([K+ pi(-)](D)K- / pi(-)) to favored ([K+ pi(-)](D)K- / pi(-)) branching fractions as well as the CP asymmetries A(()*()) of those modes. We see indications of signals for the B- -> DK- and B- -> D-D pi 0(()*()) K- suppressed modes, with statistical significances of 2.1 and 2.2 sigma, respectively, and we measure: R-DK = (1.1 +/- 0: 6 +/- 0.2) x 10(-2); A(DK) = -0.86 +/- 0: 47(-0.16)(+0.12), R-(D pi 0)K* = (1.8 +/- 0: 9 +/- 0: 4) x 10(-2); A ((D pi 0)K)* = +0.77 +/- 0: 35 +/- 0.12; R-(D gamma)K* = (1.3 +/- 1.4 +/- 0.8) x 10(-2); A((D gamma)K)* = +0.36 +/- 0: 94(-0.41)(+0.25), where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We use a frequentist approach to obtain the magnitude of the ratio r(B) equivalent to vertical bar A(B- -> (D) over bar 0K(-))/A(B- -> (DK-)-K-0)vertical bar = (9.5(-4.1)(+5.1))%, with r(B) < 16: 7% at 90% confidence level. In the case of B- -> D*K- we find r(B) equivalent to vertical bar A(B- -> <(D)over bar>0K(-))/A(B- -> (DK-)-K-0)vertical bar = (9.6(-5.1)(+3.5))%, with r(B)* < 15.0% at 90% confidence level.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Searches for rare or forbidden semileptonic charm decays. Phys. Rev. D, 84(7), 072006–13pp.
Abstract: We present searches for rare or forbidden charm decays of the form X(c)(+) -> h(+/-)l(+/-)l((l)+), where X(c)(+) is a charm hadron (D(+), D(s)(+), or A(c)(+)), h +/- is a pion, kaon, or proton, and l((l)+/-) is an electron or muon. The analysis is based on 384 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data collected at or close to the gamma(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. No significant signal is observed for any of the 35 decay modes that are investigated. We establish 90% confidence-level upper limits on the branching fractions between 1 x 10(-6) and 44 x 10(-6) depending on the channel. In most cases, these results represent either the first limits or significant improvements on existing limits for the decay modes studied.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., Milanes, D. A., & Oyanguren, A. (2010). Measurement of CP observables in B-+/- -> DCPK +/- decays and constraints on the CKM angle gamma. Phys. Rev. D, 82(7), 072004–20pp.
Abstract: Using the entire sample of 467 x 10(6) Y(4S) -> B (B) over bar decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B factory at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, we perform an analysis of B-+/- -> DK +/- decays, using decay modes in which the neutral D meson decays to either CP-eigenstates or non-CP-eigenstates. We measure the partial decay rate charge asymmetries for CP-even and CP-odd D final states to be A(CP+) = 0.25 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.02 and A(CP-) = 0.09 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.02, respectively, where the first error is the statistical and the second is the systematic uncertainty. The parameter A(CP+) is different from zero with a significance of 3.6 standard deviations, constituting evidence for direct CP violation. We also measure the ratios of the charged-averaged B partial decay rates in CP and non-CP decays, RCP+ 1.18 +/- 0.09 +/- 0.05 and RCP- = 1.07 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.04. We infer frequentist confidence intervals for the angle gamma of the unitarity triangle, for the strong phase difference delta(B), and for the amplitude ratio r(B), which are related to the B- -> DK- decay amplitude by r(B)e(i(delta B-gamma)) = A(B- -> (D) over bar K-0(-)) = A(B- -> (D) over bar K-0(-))/A(B- -> (DK-)-K-0). Including statistical and systematic uncertainties, we obtain 0: 24 < rB < 0: 45 ( 0: 06 < rB < 0: 51) and, modulo 180 degrees, 11.3 degrees < gamma < 22.7 degrees or 80.8 degrees < gamma < 99.2 degrees or 157.3 degrees < gamma < 168.7 degrees (7.0 degrees < gamma < 173.0 degrees) at the 68% ( 95%) confidence level.
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