Abstract: Symmetry transformations have been proven a bedrock tool for understanding the nature of particle interactions, formulating, and testing fundamental theories. Based on the up to now unbroken CPT symmetry, the violation of the CP symmetry between matter and antimatter by weak interactions, discovered in the decay of kaons in 1964 and observed more recently in 2001 in B mesons, strongly suggests that the behavior of these particles under weak interactions must also be asymmetric under time reversal T. However, until recent years there has not been a direct detection of the expected time-reversal violation in the time evolution of any system. This Colloquium examines the field of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the fundamental laws of physics. For transitions, its observation requires an asymmetry with exchange of initial and final states. A discussion is given of the conceptual basis for such an exchange with unstable particles, using the quantum properties of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement available at B meson factories combined with the decay as a filtering measurement. The method allows a clear-cut separation of different transitions between flavor and CP eigenstates in the decay of neutral B mesons. These ideas have been implemented for the experiment by the BABAR Collaboration at SLAC's B factory. The results, presented in 2012, prove beyond any doubt the violation of time-reversal invariance in the time evolution between these two states of the neutral B meson.

Abstract: Angular correlations in B+ -> X(3872)K+ decays, with X(3872) -> rho(0)J/psi, rho(0) -> pi(+)pi(-) and J/psi -> pi(+)pi(-), are used to measure orbital angular momentum contributions and to determine the J(PC) value of the X(3872) meson. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) of proton- proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector. This determination, for the first time performed without assuming a value for the orbital angular momentum, confirms the quantum numbers to be J(PC) = 1(++). The X(3872) is found to decay predominantly through an S wave and an upper limit of 4% at 95% C.L. is set on the D-wave contribution.

Abstract: The product of the A(b)(0) ((B) over bar (0)) differential production cross-section and the branching fraction of the decay A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-) ((B) over bar (0)-> J/psi p (K) over bar*(892)(0)) is measured as a function of the beauty hadron transverse momentum, p(T), and rapidity, y. The kinematic region of the measurements is p(T) <20 GeV/c and 2.0 < y < 4.5. The measurements use a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb(-1) collected by the LHCb detector in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies root s=7 TeV in 2011 and root s=8 TeV in 2012. Based on previous LHCb results of the fragmentation fraction ratio, f(Ab0)/f(d), the branching fraction of the decay A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-) is measured to be B(A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-))=(3.17 +/- 0.04 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.34(-0.28)(+0.45))x10(-4) where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the branching fraction of the decay (B) over bar (0)-> J/psi p (K) over bar*(892)(0), and the fourth is due to the knowledge of f(Ab0)/f(d). The sum of the asymmetries in the production and decay between A(b)(0) and (A) over bar (0)(b) is also measured as a function of p(T) and y. The previously published branching fraction of A(b)(0)-> J/psi p pi(-), relative to that of A(b)(0)-> J/psi pK(-), is updated. The branching fractions of A(b)(0)-> P-c(+)(-> J/psi p)K- are determined.

Abstract: Measurements are presented of electroweak boson production using data from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s = 8TeV. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of 2.0 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb detector. The bosons are identified in the W -> μnu and Z -> mu(+)mu(-) decay channels. The cross-sections are measured for muons in the pseudorapidity range 2.0 < eta < 4.5, with transverse momenta p(T) > 20 GeV/c and, in the case of the Z boson, a dimuon mass within 60 < M mu+mu- < 120 GeV/c(2). The results are sigma(W+) -> mu(+)nu(-) = 1093.6 +/- 2.1 +/- 7.2 +/- 10.9 +/- 12.7 pb, sigma(W-) -> mu(-)nu(-) = 818.4 +/- 1.9 +/- 5.0 +/- 7.0 +/- 9.5 pb, sigma(Z) -> mu(+)mu(-) = 95.0 +/- 0.3 +/- 0.7 +/- 1.1 +/- 1.1 pb, where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic, the third are due to the knowledge of the LHC beam energy and the fourth are due to the luminosity determination. The evolution of the W and Z boson cross-sections with centre-of-mass energy is studied using previously reported measurements with 1.0 fb(-1) of data at 7 TeV. Differential distributions are also presented. Results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

Abstract: Many models of physics beyond the standard model predict the existence of new Abelian forces with new gauge bosons mediating interactions between “dark sectors” and the standard model. We report a search for a dark boson Z' coupling only to the second and third generations of leptons in the reaction e(+)e(-) -> mu(+)mu(-) Z', Z' -> mu(+)mu(-) using 514 fb(-1) of data collected by the BABAR experiment. No significant signal is observed for Z' masses in the range 0.212-10 GeV. Limits on the coupling parameter g' as low as 7 x 10(-4) are derived, leading to improvements in the bounds compared to those previously derived from neutrino experiments.