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G. Martinelli

Publications and source records attributed to G. Martinelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Rare kaon decays $K^- \to \ell^- \bar{\nu}_\ell \ell'^{+} \ell'^{-}$: Standard Model predictions from lattice QCD

Weak decays of charged kaons with an additional lepton-antilepton pair, $K^- \to \ell^- \bar{\nu}_\ell \ell'^{+} \ell'^{-}$ ($K_{\ell2\ell'}$), are suppressed at order $O(G_{F}^{2}\alpha_{\rm em}^{2})$ in the Standard Model (SM) and provide sensitive probes of its flavour structure, as well as independent determinations of the Cabibbo angle $|V_{us}|$. In this Letter we present the SM predictions for all four channels with $\ell,\ell' =e,\mu$, based on the first complete lattice QCD calculation of the structure-dependent form factors reported in a companion paper [1]. Using the PDG value [2] $|V_{us}|^{\rm PDG}=0.22431(85)$, we obtain branching fractions with controlled uncertainties and precisions ranging from $2\%$ to $7\%$, depending on the channel. For the three modes with published measurements, our results agree with experiment. For the $K_{\mu2\mu}$ mode, for which no published experimental result is available, we compare our prediction with the preliminary NA62 result, finding agreement at the $1.4\sigma$ level. Conversely, the measured decay rates can be used together with our results to extract $|V_{us}|$ from these modes. A weighted average over the two most precise channels, $K_{\mu2e}$ and $K_{\mu2\mu}$, yields $|V_{us}|=0.2283(42)$, corresponding to a $1.8\%$ determination. These results pave the way for using $K_{\ell2\ell'}$ decays as precision probes of the SM.

hep-ph

Complete lattice QCD calculation of $K^{-}\to \ell^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\ell}\ell^{'+}\ell^{'-}$ form factors

We present the first complete lattice QCD calculation of the four structure-dependent form factors governing the rare charged kaon decay $K^- \to \ell^- \bar{\nu}_\ell \ell'^+ \ell'^-$, with fully controlled statistical and systematic uncertainties. Our calculation is based on gauge ensembles generated by the Extended Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC) with $N_f = 2+1+1$ flavors of Wilson-clover twisted-mass fermions. Simulations are performed directly at the physical values of the light and strange quark masses, and include an estimate of the quark-disconnected contributions in which the virtual photon couples to sea quarks. All four form factors are determined across the kinematical region probed by experiments. The Spectral Function Reconstruction (SFR) method of Ref. [1] is employed to overcome the analytic continuation problem for dilepton invariant masses above the two-pion threshold. Finite-volume effects are investigated using ensembles with spatial extents $L\simeq [3.8,7.6]~\mathrm{fm}$, while the continuum limit is obtained from three lattice spacings in the range $a\in[0.057, 0.08]~\mathrm{fm}$. Our results for the form factors enable the evaluation of decay rates and differential observables for all four channels, $K^- \to e^- \bar{\nu}_e e^+ e^-$, $K^- \to e^- \bar{\nu}_e \mu^+ \mu^-$, $K^- \to \mu^- \bar{\nu}_\mu e^+ e^-$, and $K^- \to \mu^- \bar{\nu}_\mu \mu^+ \mu^-$, thereby providing first-principles Standard Model predictions against which existing and upcoming measurements can be directly compared. A detailed phenomenological analysis of the decay rates and associated observables is presented in a companion paper [2].

hep-lat

Theoretical framework for lattice QCD computations of $B\to K \ell^+ \ell^-$ and $\bar{B}_s\to \ell^+\ell^- \gamma$ decays rates, including contributions from charming penguin diagrams

We develop a strategy for computing the $B\to K\ell^+\ell^-$ and $\bar{B}_s\to\gamma\ell^+\ell^-$ decay amplitudes using lattice QCD (where $\ell^\pm$ are charged leptons). We focus on those terms which contain complex contributions to the amplitude, due to on-shell intermediate states propagating between the weak operator and electromagnetic current(s). Such terms, which are generally estimated using model calculations and represent significant uncertainties in the phenomenological predictions for these decays, cannot be computed using standard lattice QCD techniques. It has recently been shown that such contributions can be computed using spectral-density methods and our proposed strategy, which we discuss in detail, is built on this approach. The complex contributions include the ``charming penguins" (matrix elements of the current-current operators $O_1^{(c)}$ and $O_2^{(c)}$ defined in Eq. (6) below), in which the charm-quark loop can propagate long distances, particularly close to the region of charmonium resonances. They also include the contributions from the chromomagnetic operator ($O_8$ in standard notation, defined in Eq. (8) below). We discuss the renormalization of the ultra-violet divergences, and in particular those which arise due to ``contact" terms, and explain how those which appear as inverse powers of the lattice spacing can be subtracted non-perturbatively. We apply the spectral density methods in an instructive exploratory computation of the charming penguin diagram in $B\to K\ell^+\ell^-$ decays in which the virtual photon is emitted from the charm-quark loop (the diagram in Fig. 1(a) below) and discuss the prospects and strategies for the reliable determination of the amplitudes in future dedicated computations; computations which are however, beyond the scope of the present paper.

hep-lat

The Rise of Particle Physics

Discovery of the J Particle at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Physics of Electrons and Positrons; The Standard Model Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; The Rise of Gauge Theories: From Many Models to One Theory; From Charm to CP Violation; When the Standard Model Was Ignored; The Discovery of the W and Z Bosons at the CERN Proton-Antiproton Collider; A Personal History of CERN Particle Colliders (1972-2022); The Age of Gravitational Wave Astronomy; Precision Physics in the Era of (HL)LHC; Recent Developments in Flavor Physics, the Unitary Triangle Fit, Anomalies and All That; About BSM Physics, with Emphasis on Flavour; The Discovery of the Antiproton between Rome and Berkeley; Raoul Gatto and Bruno Touschek: the Rise of $e+e^-$ Physics; From ADONE's Multi-Hadron Production to the J/$\Psi$ Discovery; From Bjorken Scaling to Scaling Violations

hep-ph

Kaon radiative leptonic decay rates from lattice QCD simulations at the physical point

We present a lattice QCD calculation of the radiative leptonic decay rates of the kaon, improving upon our previous work, arXiv:2006.05358. Our analysis uses gauge ensembles generated by the Extended Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC) with $N_{f} = 2 + 1 + 1$ flavors of Wilson-clover twisted mass fermions. For the first time, we go beyond the electroquenched approximation by including quark-disconnected contributions. Several key improvements have been implemented: (i) the simulations are now performed directly at physical light- and strange-quark masses, (ii) finite-size effects are carefully investigated using lattices with spatial extents ranging from $L \simeq 3.8\,\mathrm{fm}$ to $L \simeq 7.7\,\mathrm{fm}$, and (iii) the continuum extrapolation is based on three lattice spacings in the range $a \in [0.08, 0.058]\,\mathrm{fm}$. As a result of the high-precision determination of the relevant correlation functions, we reduce the uncertainties on both the axial and vector form factors by nearly a factor of two compared to our previous analysis. When compared to experimental measurements in the electron channel ($K^- \to e^- \bar{\nu}_e \gamma$), our results show a tension -- at the level of $2.6$ standard deviations -- with respect to KLOE data. On the other hand, they are compatible with measurements from the E36 Collaboration at J-PARC. In the muonic decay channel ($K^- \to \mu^- \bar{\nu}_\mu \gamma$), we confirm the tensions, already observed in our previous study, between lattice QCD predictions and ISTRA+ and OKA data, which are both primarily sensitive to the value of the negative-helicity form factor $F^{-}$.

hep-lat

Semileptonic $B \to D^*$ decays from light to $\tau$ leptons: the extraction of the form factor $F_2$ from data

We extend the Standard Model (SM) analysis of Ref. [1], which was limited to light leptons in the final state, to the semileptonic $B \to D^* \tau \nu_\tau$ decay. By using quantities that can be analised without the knowledge of $\vert V_{cb}\vert$, we derive important information about the helicity amplitudes and the hadronic form factors that can be compared with the predictions of lattice QCD calculations. In particular, there is a difficulty in reproducing simultaneously the experimental values of $R(D^*)$ and of other quantities relevant for the semitauonic decays within the SM. As a byproduct of our analysis, we also present a determination of $\vert V_{cb}\vert$ from the total decay rate.

hep-ph

What we can learn from the angular differential rates (only) in semileptonic $B \to D^* \ell \nu_\ell$ decays

We present a simple approach to the study of semileptonic $B \to D^* \ell \nu_\ell$ decays based on the angular distributions of the final state particles only. Our approach is model independent and never requires the knowledge of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$. By studying such distributions in the case of light leptons, a comparison between results from different data sets from the Belle and BelleII Collaborations and between data and Standard Model calculations is also given for several interesting quantities. A good consistency is observed between some of the experimental results and the theoretical predictions.

hep-ph

Global analysis of charm mixing parameters and determination of the CKM angle $\gamma$

We present an updated global analysis of beauty decays sensitive to the angle $\gamma$ of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix and of $D$-meson mixing data in the framework of approximate universality, in which CP violation in $D-\overline{D}$ mixing is described in terms of two universal weak phases corresponding to dispersive and absorptive contributions. We extract the fundamental theoretical parameters determining absorptive and dispersive contributions to $D$ meson mixing and CP violation, together with the angle $\gamma$. The results for the charm mixing parameters are $x_{12} \simeq x = (0.401 \pm 0.043)\%$ and $y_{12} \simeq y = (0.610 \pm 0.017)\%$, while the two CP-violating phases are given by $\phi_2^M = (0.13 \pm 0.70)^{\circ}$ and ${\phi}_2^{\Gamma} = (2.1 \pm 1.6)^{\circ}$. The angle $\gamma$ is found to be $\gamma = (65.7 \pm 2.5)^{\circ}$, in excellent agreement with the indirect determination from the Unitarity Triangle analysis.

hep-ph

The $B_{s}\to \mu^{+}\mu^{-}\gamma$ decay rate at large $q^{2}$ from lattice QCD

We determine, by means of lattice QCD calculations, the local form factors describing the $B_{s}\to \mu^{+}\mu^{-}\gamma$ decay. For this analysis we make use of the gauge configurations produced by the ETM Collaboration with $N_{f}=2+1+1$ flavour of Wilson-Clover twisted-mass fermions at maximal twist. To obtain the $B_{s}$ meson form-factors, we perform simulations for several heavy-strange meson masses $m_{H_{s}}$ in the range $m_{H_{s}} \in [ m_{D_{s}}, 2 m_{D_{s}} ]$, and extrapolate to the physical $B_{s}$ meson point $m_{B_{s}}\simeq 5.367~{\rm GeV}$ making use of the HQET scaling laws. We cover the region of large di-muon invariant masses $\sqrt{q^{2}} > 4.16\,{\rm GeV}$, and use our results to determine the branching fraction for $B_{s}\to \mu^{+}\mu^{-}\gamma$, which has been recently measured by LHCb in the region $\sqrt{q^{2}} > 4.9\,{\rm GeV}$. The largest contribution to the uncertainty in the partial branching fractions at values of $\sqrt{q^{2}} < 4.8\,{\rm GeV}$ is now due to resonance and other long-distance effects, including those from "charming penguins", which we estimate by summing over the contributions from the $J_P=1^-$ charmonium resonances.

hep-lat

Updates on the determination of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$, $R(D^{*})$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert/\vert V_{cb} \vert$

We present an updated determination of the values of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$, $R(D^*)$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert/\vert V_{cb} \vert$ based on the new data on semileptonic $B \to D^* \ell \nu_\ell$ decays by the Belle and Belle-II Collaborations and on the recent theoretical progress in the calculation of the form factors relevant for semileptonic $B \to D^* \ell \nu_\ell$ and $B_s \to K \ell \nu_\ell$ decays. In particular we present results derived by applying either the Dispersive Matrix (DM) method of Refs. [1-6] or the more standard Boyd-Grinstein-Lebed (BGL) [7] approach to the most recent values of the form factors determined in lattice QCD. Using all the available lattice results for the form factors from the DM method we get the theoretical value $R^{\rm th}(D^*) = 0.262 \pm 0.009$ and we extract from a bin-per-bin analysis of the experimental data the value $\vert V_{cb} \vert = (39.92 \pm 0.64) \cdot10^{-3}$. Our result for $R(D^*)$ is consistent with the latest experimental world average $R^{\rm exp}(D^*) = 0.284 \pm 0.012$ [8]} at the $\simeq 1.5\,\sigma$ level. Our value for $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ is compatible with the latest inclusive determinations $\vert V_{cb} \vert^{\rm incl} = (41.97 \pm 0.48) \cdot 10^{-3}$ [9] and $\vert V_{cb} \vert^{\rm incl} = (41.69\pm 0.63) \cdot 10^{-3}$ [10] within $\simeq 2.6$ and $\simeq 2.0$ standard deviations, respectively. From a reappraisal of the calculations of $\vert V_{ub} \vert / \vert V_{cb} \vert$, we also obtain $\vert V_{ub} \vert / \vert V_{cb} \vert = 0.087\pm 0.009$ in good agreement with the result $\vert V_{ub} \vert / \vert V_{cb} \vert = 0.0844\pm 0.0056$ from the latest FLAG review [11].

hep-ph

Lattice calculation of the $D_{s}$ meson radiative form factors over the full kinematical range

We compute the structure-dependent axial and vector form factors for the radiative leptonic decays $D_s\to \ellν_\ellγ$, where $\ell$ is a charged lepton, as functions of the energy of the photon in the rest frame of the $D_s$ meson. The computation is performed using gauge-field configurations with 2+1+1 sea-quark flavours generated by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration and the results have been extrapolated to the continuum limit. For the vector form factor we observe a very significant partial cancellation between the contributions from the emission of the photon from the strange quark and that from the charm quark. The results for the form factors are used to test the reliability of various Anzätze based on single-pole dominance and its extensions, and we present a simple parametrization of the form factors which fits our data very well and which can be used in future phenomenological analyses. Using the form factors we compute the differential decay rate and the branching ratio for the process $D_s\to eν_eγ$ as a function of the lower cut-off on the photon energy. With a cut-off of 10 MeV for example, we find a branching ratio of Br$(E_γ>10\,\mathrm{MeV})=4.4(3)\times 10^{-6}$ which, unlike some model calculations, is consistent with the upper bound from the BESIII experiment Br$(E_γ>10\,\mathrm{MeV})<1.3\times 10^{-4}$ at 90% confidence level. Even for photon energies as low as 10 MeV, the decay $D_s\to eν_eγ$ is dominated by the structure-dependent contribution to the amplitude (unlike the decays with $\ell=μ$ or $τ$), confirming its value in searches for hypothetical new physics as well as in determining the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) parameters at $O(α_\mathrm{em})$, where $α_{\mathrm{em}}$ is the fine-structure constant.

hep-lat

Agglomeration of Polygonal Grids using Graph Neural Networks with applications to Multigrid solvers

Agglomeration-based strategies are important both within adaptive refinement algorithms and to construct scalable multilevel algebraic solvers. In order to automatically perform agglomeration of polygonal grids, we propose the use of Machine Learning (ML) strategies, that can naturally exploit geometrical information about the mesh in order to preserve the grid quality, enhancing performance of numerical methods and reducing the overall computational cost. In particular, we employ the k-means clustering algorithm and Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to partition the connectivity graph of a computational mesh. Moreover, GNNs have high online inference speed and the advantage to process naturally and simultaneously both the graph structure of mesh and the geometrical information, such as the areas of the elements or their barycentric coordinates. These techniques are compared with METIS, a standard algorithm for graph partitioning, which is meant to process only the graph information of the mesh. We demonstrate that performance in terms of quality metrics is enhanced for ML strategies. Such models also show a good degree of generalization when applied to more complex geometries, such as brain MRI scans, and the capability of preserving the quality of the grid. The effectiveness of these strategies is demonstrated also when applied to MultiGrid (MG) solvers in a Polygonal Discontinuous Galerkin (PolyDG) framework. In the considered experiments, GNNs show overall the best performance in terms of inference speed, accuracy and flexibility of the approach.

math.NA

Exclusive determinations of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ and $R(D^{*})$ through unitarity

In this work we apply the Dispersive Matrix (DM) method of Refs. [1,2] to the lattice computations of the Form Factors (FFs) entering the semileptonic $B \to D^* \ell ν_\ell$ decays, recently produced by the FNAL/MILC Collaborations [3] at small, but non-vanishing values of the recoil variable ($w-1$). Thanks to the DM method we obtain the FFs in the whole kinematical range accessible to the decay in a completely model-independent and non-perturbative way, implementing exactly both unitarity and kinematical constraints. Using our theoretical bands of the FFs we extract $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ from the experimental data and compute the theoretical value of $R(D^*)$. Our final result for $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ reads $\vert V_{cb} \vert = (41.3 \pm 1.7) \cdot 10^{-3}$, compatible with the most recent inclusive estimate at the $0.5σ$ level. Moreover, we obtain the pure theoretical value $R(D^*) = 0.275 \pm 0.008$, which is compatible with the experimental world average at the $\sim 1.3 σ$ level.

hep-ph

The DM approach to semileptonic heavy-to-heavy and heavy-to-light $B$ decays

We present the results of the application of the Dispersion Matrix approach to semileptonic heavy-to-heavy and heavy-to-light $B$-meson decays. This method allows to determine the hadronic form factors in a non-perturbative and model-independent way. Starting from the available lattice results at large values of the momentum transfer, we obtain the behaviour of the form factors in their whole kinematical range without introducing any parameterization of their momentum dependence. We will focus on the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert$ through the analysis of $B \to D^{(*)} \ell ν$, $B_s \to D_s^{(*)} \ell ν$, $B \to π\ell ν$ and $B_s \to K \ell ν$ decays. New theoretical determinations of the Lepton Flavour Universality ratios relevant for these transitions will be also presented, by focusing in particular on the $R(D_{(s)}^{(*)})$ ratios.

hep-ph

$|V_{cb}|$, Lepton Flavour Universality and $SU(3)_F$ symmetry breaking in $B_s \to D_s^{(*)} \ell ν_\ell$ decays through unitarity and lattice QCD

In addition to the well-known $B \to D^{(*)} \ell ν_\ell$ decays, semileptonic $B_s \to D_s^{(*)} \ell ν_\ell$ processes offer the possibility to determine the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element $\vert V_{cb}\vert$. We implement the Dispersive Matrix (DM) approach to describe the hadronic Form Factors (FFs) for the $B_s \to D_s^{(*)}$ transition in the whole kinematical range, starting from recent Lattice QCD computations at large values of the 4-momentum transfer. We extract $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ from the experimental data, obtaining $\vert V_{cb} \vert \cdot 10^3 = (41.7 \pm 1.9)$ from $B_s \to D_s \ell ν_\ell$ and $\vert V_{cb} \vert \cdot 10^3 =(40.7 \pm 2.4)$ from $B_s \to D_s^* \ell ν_\ell$ decays. After averaging with the values of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ obtained from the $B \to D^{(*)}$ channels [1,2] we get $\vert V_{cb} \vert \cdot 10^3 =(41.2 \pm 0.8)$, which is compatible with the most recent inclusive estimate $\vert V_{cb} \vert_{\rm{incl}} \cdot 10^3 = 42.16 \pm 0.50$ [3] at the $1 σ$ level. In addition we test the Lepton Flavour Universality (LFU) by computing the $τ/ \ell$ ratios of the total decay rates (where $\ell$ is a light lepton), obtaining $R(D_s) = 0.298\,(5)$ and $R(D_s^*)= 0.250\,(6)$. We also address the issue of the $SU(3)_F$ symmetry breaking by comparing the hadronic FFs entering the semileptonic $B \to D^{(*)}$ and $B_s \to D_s^{(*)}$ channels.

hep-ph

Exclusive semileptonic $B$-meson decays using lattice QCD and unitarity

We present the results of the application of the Dispersion Matrix approach to exclusive semileptonic $B$-meson decays. This method allows to determine the hadronic form factors in a non-perturbative and completely model-independent way. Starting from lattice results available at large values of the momentum transfer, the behaviour of the form factors in their whole kinematical range is obtained without introducing any parameterization of their momentum dependence. We will focus on the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert$ through the analysis of $B_{(s)} \to D_{(s)}^{(*)} \ell ν$ and $B_{(s)} \to π(K) \ell ν$ decays. New theoretical determinations of the Lepton Flavour Universality ratios relevant for these transitions will be also presented.

hep-ph

Exclusive semileptonic $B \to π\ell ν_\ell$ and $B_s \to K \ell ν_\ell$ decays through unitarity and lattice QCD

The Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element $\vert V_{ub}\vert$ is obtained from exclusive semileptonic $B \to π\ell ν_\ell$ and $B_s \to K \ell ν_\ell$ decays adopting the unitarity-based dispersion matrix approach for the determination of the hadronic form factors (FFs) in the whole kinematical range. We use lattice computations of the relevant susceptibilities and of the FFs in the large-$q^2$ regime in order to derive their behavior in the low-$q^2$ region without assuming any specific momentum dependence and without constraining their shape using experimental data. Then, we address the extraction of $\vert V_{ub}\vert$ from the experimental data, obtaining $\vert V_{ub}\vert = (3.62 \pm 0.47) \cdot 10^{-3}$ from $B \to π$ and $\vert V_{ub}\vert = (3.77 \pm 0.48) \cdot 10^{-3}$ from $B_s \to K$, which after averaging yield $\vert V_{ub}\vert = (3.69 \pm 0.34) \cdot 10^{-3}$. These results are compatible with the most recent inclusive value $\vert V_{ub} \vert_{incl} = 4.13\,(26) \cdot 10^{-3}$ at the 1$σ$ level. We also present purely theoretical estimates of the ratio of the $τ/μ$ decay rates $R^{τ/μ}_{π(K)}$, the normalized forward-backward asymmetry $\bar{\mathcal{A}}_{FB}^{\ell,π(K)}$ and the normalized lepton polarization asymmetry $\bar{\mathcal{A}}_{polar}^{\ell,π(K)}$.

hep-ph

Exclusive B-meson semileptonic decays from unitarity and lattice QCD

We examine the semileptonic $B \to D^{(*)} \ell ν_\ell$ and $B \to π\ell ν_\ell$ decays adopting the unitarity-based Dispersive Matrix (DM) method, which allows to determine the shape of the relevant hadronic form factors (FFs) in their whole kinematical range, using only lattice QCD results available at large values of the 4-momentum transfer without making any assumption on their momentum dependence. Moreover, the experimental data are not used to constrain the shape of the FFs, but only to obtain our final exclusive determination of $\vert V_{cb} \vert$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert$, namely: $\vert V_{cb} \vert \cdot 10^3 = 41.1 \pm 1.0$ and $\vert V_{ub} \vert \cdot 10^3 = 3.88 \pm 0.32$, which are consistent with the latest inclusive determinations at the $1 σ$ level or better. Our calculation of the FFs allows to obtain pure theoretical estimates of the $τ/ μ$ ratios of differential decay rates, $R(D) = 0.296 \pm 0.008$ and $R(D^*) = 0.275 \pm 0.008$, which turn out to be compatible with the experimental world averages within $\simeq 1.4$ standard deviations.

hep-ph