arXiv subjects

Christine Davies

Publications and source records attributed to Christine Davies.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Semileptonic $B_c$ decays from full lattice QCD

We present first lattice QCD results for semileptonic form factors for the decays $B_c \to η_c l ν$ and $B_c \to J/ψl ν$ over the full $q^2$ range, using both improved non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) and fully relativistic (HISQ) formalisms. These can be viewed as prototype calculations for pseudoscalar to pseudoscalar and pseudoscalar to vector decays involving a $b \to c$ transition. In particular we can use information from the relativistic computations to fix the NRQCD current normalisations, which can then be used in improved computations of decays such as $B \to D l ν$ and $B \to D^* l ν$.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2015

Lattice calculation of the HVP contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of muon

We report our (HPQCD) progress on the calculation of the Hadronic Vacuum Polarisation contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of muon. In this article we discuss the calculations for the light (up/down) quark connected contribution using our method described in Phys.Rev. D89(2014) 11, 114501 and give an estimate for the disconnected contribution. Our calculation has been carried out on MILC Collaboration's $n_f = 2+1+1$ HISQ ensembles at multiple values of the lattice spacing, multiple volumes and multiple light sea quark masses (including physical pion mass configurations).

hep-lat↗

arXiv2015

The strange and charm quark contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment (g -2) of the muon from current-current correlators

We describe a new technique (presented in arXiv:1403.1778) to determine the contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment (g-2) of the muon coming from the hadronic vacuum polarisation using lattice QCD. Our method uses Padé approximants to reconstruct the Adler function from its derivatives at $q^2=0$. These are obtained simply and accurately from time-moments of the vector current-current correlator at zero spatial momentum. We test the method using strange quark correlators calculated on MILC Collaboration's $n_f$ = 2+1+1 HISQ ensembles at multiple values of the lattice spacing, multiple volumes and multiple light sea quark masses (including physical pion mass configurations).

hep-lat↗

arXiv2014

Nonperturbative tests of the renormalization of mixed clover-staggered currents in lattice QCD

The Fermilab Lattice and MILC collaborations have shown in one-loop lattice QCD perturbation theory that the renormalization constants of vector and axial-vector mixed clover-asqtad currents are closely related to the product of those for clover-clover and asqtad-asqtad (local) vector currents. To be useful for future higher precision calculations this relationship must be valid beyond one-loop and very general. We test its validity nonperturbatively using clover and Highly Improved Staggered (HISQ) strange quarks, utilising the absolute normalization of the HISQ temporal axial current. We find that the renormalization of the mixed current differs from the square root of the product of the pure HISQ and pure clover currents by $2-3\%$. We also compare discretization errors between the clover and HISQ formalisms.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Precise Determination of the Charm Quark Mass

The determination of the charm quark mass is now possible to 1% from QCD, with lattice QCD pushing the error down below 1%. I will describe the ingredients of this approach and how it can achieve this accuracy. Results for quark mass ratios, m_c/m_s and m_b/m_c, can also be determined to 1% from lattice QCD, allowing accuracy for the heavy quark masses to be leveraged into the light quark sector. I will discuss the prospects for, and importance of, improving results in future calculations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

$D_s$ to $ϕ$ and other transitions from lattice QCD

We have studied transitions between vector and pseudoscalar mesons using the HISQ action for the valence quarks. We have calculated all of the axial and vector form factors that appear in the decay rate for $D_s \to ϕ\ell ν$ over the full $q^2$ range and compared them to the shape of the experimental decay distributions. We use nonperturbatively normalised currents for the vector and axial vector currents. The same set up for the three point correlations functions also allow us to study radiative decays and we have calculated the decay rate for $J/ψ\to η_c γ$.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Pion electromagnetic form factor from full lattice QCD

We present preliminary results from the first calculation of the pion electromagnetic form factor at physical light quark masses. This form factor parameterises the deviations from the behaviour of a point-like particle when a photon hits the pion. These deviations result from the internal structure of the pion and can thus be calculated in QCD. We use three sets (different lattice spacings) of n_f=2+1+1 lattice configurations generated by the MILC collaboration. The Highly Improved Staggered Quark formalism (HISQ) is used for all of the sea and valence quarks. Using lattice configurations with u/d quark masses very close to the physical value is an advantage, as we avoid the chiral extrapolation. We study the shape of the vector (f_+) form factor in the q^2 range from 0 to -0.12 GeV^2 and extract the mean square radius, . The shape of the vector form factor and the resulting radius is compared with experiment.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Precise Determinations of the Decay Constants of B and D mesons

Recently we studied the B, Bs, D and Ds meson decay constants using various treatments for the heavy quark. For B mesons, we determined fB, fBs, and fBs/fB with NRQCD bottom quarks. We then combined the ratio fBs/fB and another very precise determination from HPQCD for fBs using heavy HISQ quarks, and extracted fB with 2% total errors. We also calculated fD, fDs, and fDs/fD using HISQ charm quarks. Here we review our results and briefly discuss their implications for the determination of the CKM matrix elements |Vcd| and |Vcs|.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Matching heavy-light currents with NRQCD and HISQ quarks

We calculate the one loop renormalisation parameters for the heavy-light axial-vector and vector currents using lattice perturbation theory. We use NonRelativistic QCD (NRQCD) heavy quarks and the Highly Improved Staggered Quark (HISQ) action for the light quarks. We present results for heavy-light currents with massless HISQ quarks and briefly discuss the extension to heavy-heavy currents with massive HISQ quarks.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Standard Model Heavy Flavor physics on the Lattice

Lattice QCD calculations in charm and bottom physics are particularly important because they can provide the hadronic weak decay matrix elements needed for key constraints on the CKM Unitarity Triangle. I will summarise recent results in this area, paying particular attention to sources of error, comparison between methods and tests of results against experiment, for example, in the spectrum. Updated world averages for decay constants this year are : $f_{D_s}$=248.6(2.4) MeV; $f_D$ = 212.1(3.4) MeV; $f_{B_s}$ = 227(4) MeV; $f_B$ = 190(4) MeV. Note that B decay constants are clearly lower than the corresponding D decay constants. Improved $D$ semileptonic form factors, both shape and normalisation, now allow the direct determination of $V_{cs}$ and $V_{cd}$ to 3% and 5% respectively. This year we also have a clear demonstration that dependence of form factors on the spectator quark mass between light and strange is very small. Apart from the phenomenology implications, this has practical application to the normalisation of branching fractions in experiment. The current best Standard model rate for a key LHC mode sensitive to new physics - $B_{(s)} \rightarrow μ^+μ^-$ - is derived from lattice QCD calculations on $B/B_s$ mixing rates. I will discuss the current result and prospects for improving lattice QCD errors.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2011

Axial vector form factors in Ds to phi semileptonic decays from lattice QCD

We calculate axial vector and vector form factors for the semileptonic decay Ds to phi using HISQ valence quarks on MILC ensembles with 2+1 flavours of asqtad sea quarks. Using twisted boundary conditions to tune the quarks' momenta, we compute form factors at q^2 = 0 on coarse lattices. We find V(0)=0.903(67), A_1(0)= 0.603(20), A_2(0)=0.401(80) and A_0(0)=0.686(17), which we compare to experimental data and previous quenched lattice QCD calculations.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2011

Studies of B and B_s Meson Leptonic Decays with NRQCD Bottom and HISQ Light/Strange Quarks

We present a progress report on new calculations of B and B_s meson decay constants employing NRQCD heavy and HISQ light valence quarks and using MILC N_f = 2+1 AsqTad lattices. Bare quark masses have been retuned in accord with HPQCD's new r_1 scale. We find significant reductions in discretization effects compared to previous calculations with AsqTad light valence quarks. Matching of the NRQCD/HISQ heavy-light axial vector current is carried out at one-loop order including all relevant dimension 4 current corrections.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2006

Precision lattice QCD calculations and predictions of fundamental physics in heavy quark systems

I describe the recent success in performing accurate calculations of the effects of the strong force on particles containing bottom and charm quarks. Since quarks are never seen in isolation, and so cannot be studied directly, numerical simulations are key to understanding the properties of these particles and extracting information about the quarks. The results have direct impact on the worldwide experimental programme that is aiming to determine the parameters of the Standard Model of particle physics precisely and thereby uncover or constrain the possibilities for physics beyond the Standard Model. The numerical simulation of the strong force is a huge computational task and the recent success is the result of international collaboration in developing techniques that are fast enough to do the calculations on powerful supercomputers.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

B semileptonic decays with 2+1 dynamical quark flavors

We study semileptonic B decays, using MILC dynamical configurations with $N_f=2+1$. NRQCD heavy and AsqTad light quark actions are used. We obtain the semileptonic form factors $f_+(q^2)$ and $f_0(q^2)$ in the chiral limit.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2005

Lattice QCD - A guide for people who want results

Lattice QCD was invented thirty years ago but only in the last few years has it finally fulfilled its promise as a precision tool for calculations in hadron physics. This review will cover the fundamentals of discretising QCD onto a space-time lattice and how to reduce the errors associated with the discretisation. This 'improvement' is the key that has made the enormous computational task of a lattice QCD calculation tractable and enabled us to reach the recent milestone of precision calculations of simple 'gold-plated' hadron masses. Accurate decay matrix elements, such as those for leptonic and semileptonic decays of heavy mesons needed by the B factory experimental programme, are now within sight. I will describe what goes into such calculations and what the future prospects and limitations are.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2004

B Decays on the Lattice and Results for Phenomenology

Lattice Monte Carlo simulations now include the effects of 2 light sea quarks and 1 strange sea quark through the use of an improved staggered fermion action. Consequently, results important to phenomenology are free of the approximate 10% errors inherent in the quenched approximation. This talk reports on calculations of the B and Bs decay constants and B -> pi l nu form factors. Accurate determinations of these quantities will lead to tighter constraints on CKM matrix elements.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Lattice QCD and Heavy Quark Physics

Lattice QCD results relevant to heavy quark physics are reviewed. In particular new results will be shown that, for the first time, include dynamical quarks in the QCD vacuum which are close enough to being realistic to allow accurate extrapolation to the physical point. Agreement with experiment is found for a wide range of spectral quantities and the implications of this for hadronic matrix elements needed for the extraction of CKM elements from B factory experiments is discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Further Improvements to Staggered Quarks

The improved staggered quark action has enabled breakthrough calculations of QCD with three light dynamical quarks. The largest remaining $a^2$ scaling violations come from "taste-changing" interactions, which are significantly reduced over naive quarks because of carefully chosen smearing of the gauge links. Here we examine further improvements to the quark action and show that additional smearing of the links can reduce the taste-changing errors by another factor of two, whilst retaining a fully $a^2$-improved action. The taste-changing errors can be understood within a perturbative calculation of the four-quark operators that appear at one-loop. We also discuss unquenching techniques with such a highly improved action.

hep-lat↗