arXiv subjects

F. Blanc

Publications and source records attributed to F. Blanc.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

First measurement of $b$-jet mass with and without grooming

The LHCb collaboration presents a novel suite of heavy-flavour jet substructure measurements at forward rapidity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. The jet mass is a perturbatively calculable probe of the virtuality of hard-scattered quarks and gluons, connecting small-distance quantum chromodynamics (QCD) with long-distance experimental measurement. It becomes dominated by nonperturbative corrections at small values, presenting an excellent test of QCD across a broad range of energies. Measuring heavy-flavour jet mass with a theoretically unambiguous flavour definition for the first time probes the gluon splitting mechanism for heavy-flavour production and pushes tests of perturbative QCD to unprecedented theoretical precision. Utilising the soft drop jet-grooming technique to access the perturbative jet core further enhances constraints on first-principles theory. Measurements of the jet mass for jets containing fully reconstructed $B^\pm$ hadrons are reported with and without grooming. These results offer unparalleled tests of quark flavour and mass dependence in QCD and provide a baseline for future studies of heavy-flavour jet quenching in heavy-ion collisions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the Lund plane for light- and beauty-quark jets

The substructure of jets in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) has garnered significant attention with the advent of infrared- and collinear-safe clustering algorithms and observables. A key question emerging from these studies is how in-jet emissions at soft and hard energy scales, across collinear and wide angles relative to the emitter, differ with the mass of the emitting parton. The Lund jet plane (LJP) is a perturbatively well-defined substructure observable that maps the radiation pattern of jets onto a plane, visually distinguishing emissions with different kinematic properties. Comparing LJP for jets containing hadrons of low versus high mass enables the testing of QCD splitting functions from first-principles calculations across both soft and hard regimes and at different radiation angles. This article presents the first measurement of the LJP for light-quark-enriched and beauty-initiated jets at center-of-mass energy of 13\tev at LHCb. This marks the first direct observation of the dead-cone effect in beauty-quark jets, measured in the collinear region of the LJP.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Rapidity and multiplicity dependence of charged-particle flow in $p$Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV

The elliptic and triangular flow of charged particles are measured using two-particle angular correlations in $p$Pb collisions in the pseudorapidity range \cal{2.0 $< |η| <$ 4.8}. The data sample was collected by the LHCb experiment in 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV, containing in total approximately 1.5 billion collision events. Non-flow contributions are obtained in low-multiplicity collisions and subtracted to extract the flow harmonics. The results are presented as a function of event multiplicity and hadron transverse momentum. Comparisons with a full (3+1)D dynamic model indicate that it overestimates the measured elliptic flow. A comparison between the forward and backward regions reveals no significant differences in flow parameters, suggesting that final-state effects may dominate over initial-state effects in the origin of flow in small systems.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the doubly-charmed-baryon decay ${\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++}\to{\it Ξ}_{c}^{0}π^{+}π^{+}$

A search for the doubly-charmed-baryon decay ${\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++}\to{\it Ξ}_{c}^{0}π^{+}π^{+}$ is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of $13\text{TeV}$ and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $5.4\text{fb}^{-1}$. A significant structure consistent with the ${\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++}$ baryon is observed in the ${\it Ξ}_{c}^{0} π^{+}π^{+}$ invariant-mass spectrum. Using the ${\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++}\to{\it Λ}_{c}^{+}K^{-}π^{+}π^{+}$ decay as the normalisation channel, the branching fraction ratio, $\frac{{\cal B}({\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++} \to {\it Ξ}_{c}^{0}π^{+}π^{+})} {{\cal B}({\it Ξ}_{cc}^{++}\to{\it Λ}_{c}^{+} K^{-}π^{+}π^{+})}$, is measured to be $1.37\pm 0.18\text{(stat)} \pm 0.09\text{(syst)} \pm 0.35\text{(ext)}$. This measurement provides critical input for testing QCD factorisation methods in the weak decays of doubly-heavy baryons, particularly in quantifying nonperturbative effects such as final-state interactions and resonance contributions to the hadronisation process.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of branching fractions and $CP$ asymmetries in $\mathitΛ_b^0(\mathitΞ_b^0)\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0h^-$ decays

A study of $\mathitΛ_b^0$ and $\mathitΞ_b^0$ baryon decays to the final states $pK_{\mathrm S}^0π^-$ and $pK_{\mathrm S}^0K^-$ is performed using $pp$ collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. The decays $\mathitΛ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0K^-$ and $\mathitΞ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0K^-$ are observed for the first time, with significances reaching eight standard deviations. The branching fractions and integrated $CP$ asymmetries are measured for the $\mathitΛ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0π^-$, $\mathitΛ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0K^-$, and $\mathitΞ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0K^-$ decays. For the decay $\mathitΛ_b^0\!\to pK_{\mathrm S}^0π^-$, the $CP$ asymmetries are measured in different regions of the Dalitz plot. No evidence of $CP$ violation is observed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Updated measurement of $CP$ violation and polarisation in $B^0_s \rightarrow J/ψ\overline{K}{}^{*}\kern-1pt(892)^{0}$ decays

A time-integrated angular analysis of the decay $B^0_s \rightarrow J/ψ\overline{K}{}^{*}\kern-1pt(892)^{0}$, with $J/ψ\rightarrow μ^{+} μ^{-}$ and $\overline{K}{}^{*}\kern-1pt(892)^{0} \rightarrow K^{-} π^{+}$, is presented. The analysis employs a sample of proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment during 2015-2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of $13 \text{TeV}$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $6 \text{fb}^{-1}$. A simultaneous maximum-likelihood fit is performed to the angular distributions in bins of the $K^{-} π^{+}$ mass. This fit yields measurements of the $CP$-averaged polarisation fractions and $CP$ asymmetries for the P-wave component of the $K^{-} π^{+}$ system. The longitudinal and parallel polarisation fractions are determined to be $f_{0} = 0.534 \pm 0.012 \pm 0.009$ and $f_{\parallel} = 0.211 \pm 0.014 \pm 0.005$, respectively, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The $CP$ asymmetries are measured with $3$-$7\%$ precision and are found to be consistent with zero. These measurements, along with an updated determination of the branching fraction relative to the $B^0 \rightarrow J/ψK^{*0}$ decay, are combined with previous LHCb results, providing the most precise values for these observables to date.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of a new charmed baryon decaying to $Ξ_c^+ π^- π^+$

The $Ξ_c^+ π^- π^+$ spectrum is investigated using proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4fb$^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment during 2016--2018. Four states are observed with high significance, and their masses and widths are measured to be \begin{align*} m[Ξ_c(2815)^{+}] &= 2816.65 \pm 0.03 \pm 0.03 \pm 0.23 ~\text{MeV}, Γ[Ξ_c(2815)^{+}] &= 2.07 \pm 0.08 \pm 0.12~\text{MeV},\\[5pt] m[Ξ_c(2923)^{+}] &= 2922.8 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.5 \pm 0.2~\text{MeV}, Γ[Ξ_c(2923)^{+}] &= 5.3 \pm 0.9 \pm 1.4~\text{MeV},\\[5pt] m[Ξ_c(2970)^{+}] &= 2968.6 \pm 0.5 \pm 0.5 \pm 0.2~\text{MeV}, Γ[Ξ_c(2970)^{+}] &= 31.7 \pm 1.7 \pm 1.9~\text{MeV},\\[5pt] m[Ξ_c(3080)^{+}] &= 3076.8 \pm 0.7 \pm 1.3 \pm 0.2~\text{MeV}, Γ[Ξ_c(3080)^{+}] &= 6.8 \pm 2.3 \pm 0.9~\text{MeV}, \end{align*} where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the limited precision on the $Ξ_c^+$ mass, respectively. The $Ξ_c(2923)^{+}$ baryon is observed for the first time, and is consistent with being the isospin partner of the previously observed $Ξ_c(2923)^{0}$ state. Most of the measured parameters are more precise than existing world averages.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the Z-boson mass

The first dedicated $Z$-boson mass measurement at the LHC with $Z \to μ^+μ^-$ decays is reported. The dataset uses proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $13$ TeV, recorded in 2016 by the LHCb experiment, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $1.7$ fb$^{-1}$. A template fit to the $μ^+μ^-$ mass distribution yields the following result for the $Z$-boson mass, \begin{equation*} m_{Z} = 91185.7 \pm 8.3 \pm 3.9 \rm{MeV}, \end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This result is consistent with previous measurements and predictions from global electroweak fits.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurements of charmed meson and antimeson production asymmetries at $\sqrt{s} =13.6$ TeV

This article presents doubly differential measurements of the asymmetries in production rates between mesons containing a charm quark and those containing an anticharm quark in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13.6$ TeV using data recorded by the LHCb experiment. The asymmetries of $D^0$, $D^+$ and $D_s^+$ mesons are measured for two-dimensional intervals in transverse momentum and pseudorapidity, within the range $2.5<p_T<25.0$ GeV$/c$ and $2.0<η<4.5$. No significant production asymmetries are observed. Comparisons to the Pythia 8 and Herwig 7 event generators are also presented, and their agreement with the data is evaluated. These measurements constitute the first measurements of production asymmetries at this centre-of-mass energy of colliding beams, and the first measurements with the LHCb Run 3 detector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the $Ω_c^0$ and $Ξ_c^0$ baryon lifetimes using hadronic $b$-baryon decays

The lifetimes of the $Ω_c^0$ and $Ξ_c^0$ baryons are measured using a $pp$ collision dataset collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9~\rm{fb^{-1}}$. The charm baryons are produced in the fully reconstructed decay chains $Ω_b^- \rightarrow Ω_c^0 (\rightarrow pK^-K^-π^+)~π^-$ and $Ξ_b^- \rightarrow Ξ_c^0 (\rightarrow pK^-K^-π^+)~π^-$. The measurement uses topologically and kinematically similar $B^- \rightarrow D^0(\rightarrow K^-K^+π^-π^+)~π^-$ decays for normalisation. The measured lifetimes are $τ_{Ω_c^0} = 276.3 \pm 19.4~\rm{(stat)} \pm 1.8~\rm{(syst)} \pm 0.7~(τ_{D^0})~\rm{fs}$, $τ_{Ξ_c^0} = 149.2 \pm ~\,2.5~\rm{(stat)} \pm 0.9~\rm{(syst)} \pm 0.4~(τ_{D^0})~\rm{fs}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third due to the uncertainty of the $D^0$ lifetime. These results are consistent with previous measurements performed by the LHCb experiment.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the $Λ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- K^+$ and $Ξ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- π^+$ decays

The first observation of the $Ξ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- π^+$ decay and the most precise measurement of the branching fraction of the $Λ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- K^+$ decay are reported, using proton-proton collision data from the LHCb experiment collected in 2016--2018 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13~TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4~fb$^{-1}$. Using the $Λ_b^0 \to J/ψΛ$ and $Ξ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^-$ decays as normalisation channels, the ratios of branching fractions are measured to be: \[ \frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- K^+)}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to J/ψΛ)} = (1.17 \pm 0.14 \pm 0.08)\times 10^{-2} \, , \] \[ \frac{\mathcal{B}(Ξ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^- π^+)}{\mathcal{B}(Ξ_b^0 \to J/ψΞ^-)} = (11.9 \pm 1.4 \pm 0.6)\times 10^{-2}\, , \] where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of exotic $J/ψϕ$ resonant structure in diffractive processes in proton-proton collisions

The first study of $J/ψϕ$ production in diffractive processes in proton-proton collisions is presented. The study is based on an LHCb dataset recorded at centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 fb$^{-1}$. The data disfavour a nonresonant $J/ψϕ$ production but are consistent with a resonant model including several resonant states observed previously only in $B^+ \to J/ψϕK^+$ decays. The $χ_{c0}(4500)$ state is observed with a significance over $6σ$ and the $χ_{c1}(4274)$ is confirmed with a significance of more than $4σ$.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Three-pion Bose-Einstein correlations measured in proton-proton collisions

A study on the Bose-Einstein correlations for triplets of same-sign pions is presented. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, recorded by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb$^{-1}$. For the first time, the results are interpreted in the core-halo model. The parameters of the model are determined in regions of charged-particle multiplicity. This measurement provides insight into the nature of hadronisation in terms of coherence, showing a coherent emission of pions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of charge-parity symmetry breaking in baryon decays

The Standard Model of particle physics-the theory of particles and interactions at the smallest scale-predicts that matter and antimatter interact differently due to violation of the combined symmetry of charge conjugation ($C$) and parity ($P$). Charge conjugation transforms particles into their antimatter particles, whereas the parity transformation inverts spatial coordinates. This prediction applies to both mesons, which consist of a quark and an antiquark, and baryons, which are composed of three quarks. However, despite having been discovered in various meson decays, $CP$ violation has yet to be observed in baryons, the type of matter that makes up the observable Universe. Here we report a study of the decay of the beauty baryon $Λ^{0}_{b}$ to the $p K^{-} π^{+}π^{-}$ final state and its $CP$-conjugated process, using data collected by the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The results reveal significant asymmetries between the decay rates of the $Λ^{0}_{b}$ baryon and its $CP$-conjugated antibaryon, providing, to our knowledge, the first observation of $CP$ violation in baryon decays and demonstrating the different behaviours of baryons and antibaryons. In the Standard Model, $CP$ violation arises from the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism, and new forces or particles beyond the Standard Model could provide additional contributions. This discovery opens a new path in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

First observation of the $Λ^0_b \to D^+ D^- Λ$ decay

The $Λ^0_b \to D^+ D^- Λ$ decay is observed for the first time using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of $13 \mathrm{TeV}$, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $5.3 \mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. Using the $B^0 \to D^+ D^- K_{\mathrm{S}}^0$ decay as a reference channel, the product of the relative production cross-section and decay branching fractions is measured to be $$ {\cal R}=\frac{σ_{Λ^0_b}}{σ_{B^0}} \times \frac{{\cal B}(Λ^0_b \to D^+ D^- Λ)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to D^+ D^- K_{\mathrm{S}}^0)}=0.179 \pm 0.022 \pm 0.014 $$ where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The known branching fraction of the reference channel, ${\cal B}(B^0 \to D^+ D^- K_{\mathrm{S}}^0)$, and the cross-section ratio, $σ_{Λ^0_b} / σ_{B^0}$, previously measured by $\mathrm{LHCb}$ are used to derive the branching fraction of the $Λ^0_b \to D^+ D^- Λ$ decay $$ {\cal B}(Λ^0_b \to D^+ D^- Λ)=(1.24 \pm 0.15 \pm 0.10 \pm 0.28 \pm 0.11) \times 10^{-4}, $$ where the third and fourth contributions are due to uncertainties of ${\cal B}(B^0 \to D^+ D^- K_{\mathrm{S}}^0)$ and $σ_{Λ^0_b} / σ_{B^0}$, respectively. Inspection of the $D^+ Λ$ and $D^+ D^-$ invariant-mass distributions suggests a rich presence of intermediate resonances in the decay. The $Λ^0_b \to D^{*+} D^- Λ$ decay is also observed for the first time as a partially reconstructed component in the $D^+ D^- Λ$ invariant mass spectrum.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the very rare $Σ^+ \to p μ^+ μ^-$ decay

The first observation of the $Σ^+ \to p μ^+ μ^-$ decay is reported with high significance using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $5.4\,\rm{fb}^{-1}$, collected with the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13~TeV. A yield of $237\pm 16$ $Σ^+ \to p μ^+ μ^-$ decays is obtained, where the uncertainty is statistical only. A branching fraction of $(1.08 \pm 0.17) \times 10^{-8}$ is measured, where the uncertainty includes statistical and systematic sources. No evidence of resonant structures is found in the dimuon invariant-mass distribution. All results are compatible with Standard Model expectations. This represents the rarest decay of a baryon ever observed.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Metal Foil Detectors assembly for the beam and background monitoring in the LHCb experiment

After an upgrade in 2019--2021, the LHCb experiment is taking data in Run 3 (2022--2026) with an instantaneous luminosity of proton-proton collisions of $2\!\times\!10^{33}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$. This article presents the Radiation Monitoring System (RMS-R3) for controlling the beam and background conditions at LHCb. It runs continuously during the detector's operation, and independently of the main LHCb data acquisition. Its design is based on robust and radiation-hard Metal Foil Detector technology. The RMS-R3 monitors the instantaneous luminosity and its evolution. The analysis of the RMS-R3 Run 3 data demonstrates its linear response with a high reproducibility in a five orders of magnitude dynamic range of luminosity over a long period of operation.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the branching fraction ratio $R_K$ at large dilepton invariant mass

A test of lepton universality between muons and electrons is performed using $B^+\to K^+\ell^+\ell^-$ decays (where $\ell$ = $e$, $μ$), in the dilepton invariant-mass-squared region above 14.3 GeV$^2/c^4$. The data used for the measurement consists of beauty meson decays produced in proton-proton collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 $\text{fb}^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment between 2011 and 2018. The ratio of branching fractions for $B^+\to K^+μ^+μ^-$ and $B^+\to K^+e^+e^-$ decays is measured to be $R_K = 1.08^{+0.11}_{-0.09}\;(\text{stat})\;^{+0.04}_{-0.04}\;(\text{syst})$, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction of unity. This constitutes the most precise test of lepton flavour universality using $B^+\to K^+\ell^+\ell^-$ decays with dilepton invariant-mass-squared above the $ψ(2S)$ mass, whilst being the first of its kind at a hadron collider.

hep-ex↗