arXiv subjects

Z. Aliouche

Publications and source records attributed to Z. Aliouche.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

New measurements of $B^+_c$ decays into single charm final states

Using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9 \,\textrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment, searches are performed for $B^+_c$ mesons decaying to a charm and a charmless meson pair. Five products of branching fraction, ${\cal B}(B^+_c\!\to DX)$, and fragmentation ratio $f_c\big/f_u$ are reported, \begin{align*} R_{D^+ K^{*0}} &= ( 1.42 \pm 0.23 \pm 0.07 \pm 0.11 ) \times 10^{-6}, \\ R_{D^{*0} K^+} &= (1.46 \pm 0.30 \pm 0.11 \pm 0.05 ) \times 10^{-6}, \\ R_{D^+_s \phi}\ \ \ &= ( 4.0\pm 1.3 \pm 0.2 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{-7 }, \\ R_{D^0 K^+}\ &= ( 9.7 \pm 1.0 \pm 0.4 \pm 0.3 ) \times 10^{-7}, \\ R_{D^0 \pi^+}\ &<\ 1.4 \times 10^{-7}\ \text{at 95\% CL}. \end{align*} In each case, the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third includes external uncertainties. The first result is a first observation, the second and third exhibit clear evidence and the fourth improves the precision of previous measurements by a factor two. Additionally, the $CP$ asymmetry in $B^+_c\!\to D^0 K^+$ decays is measured and found to be compatible with zero.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Improved branching-fraction measurements of $B^0_{(s)} \to K_S^0 h^+ h^{'-}$ decays and first observation of $B^0_{s} \to K_S^0 K^+ K^-$

This paper presents a study of the charmless three-body decays ${B^0_{(s)} \to K_{\mathrm{S}}^0 h^+ h^{\prime -}}$ (where $h^{(\prime)} = \pi, K$), using a sample of $pp$ collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $9\mbox{\,fb}^{-1}$. The decay ${B^0_s \to K_{\mathrm{S}}^0 K^+ K^-}$ is observed for the first time, and the following ratios of branching fractions are measured: \begin{alignat*}{6} &\frac{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} K^+ K^-)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)} &&= 0.578 &&\pm 0.007 &&\pm 0.017\,, &\frac{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} K^\pm\pi^\mp)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)} &&= 0.1363 &&\pm 0.0035 &&\pm 0.0051\,, &\frac{{\cal B}(B^0_s \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)} &&= 0.269 &&\pm 0.011 &&\pm 0.015 && \pm 0.008\,, &\frac{{\cal B}(B^0_s \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} K^+ K^-)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)} &&= 0.0303 &&\pm 0.0041 &&\pm 0.0025 && \pm 0.0009\,, &\frac{{\cal B}(B^0_s \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} K^\pm\pi^\mp)}{{\cal B}(B^0 \to K^0_{\mathrm{S}} \pi^+\pi^-)} &&= 1.818 &&\pm 0.021 &&\pm 0.031 && \pm 0.056\,, \end{alignat*} where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to knowledge of the ratio of hadronisation fractions of the $B^0_s$ and $B^0$ mesons, respectively.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurement of the $ψ(2S)$ to $J/ψ$ cross-section ratio as a function of centrality in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV

The dissociation of quarkonium states with different binding energies produced in heavy-ion collisions is a powerful probe for investigating the formation and properties of the quark-gluon plasma. The ratio of production cross-sections of $ψ(2S)$ and $J/ψ$ mesons times the ratio of their branching fractions into the dimuon final state is measured as a function of centrality using data collected by the LHCb detector in PbPb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The measured ratio shows no dependence on the collision centrality, and is compared to the latest theory predictions and to the recent measurements in literature.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2025

Analysis of $\itΛ^\mathrm{0}_b \rightarrow pK^-μ^+μ^-$ decays

The differential branching fraction and angular coefficients of $\itΛ^\mathrm{0}_b \rightarrow pK^-μ^+μ^-$ decays are measured in bins of the dimuon mass squared and dihadron mass. The analysis is performed using a data set corresponding to 9$\text{fb}^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the $\mbox{LHCb}$ detector between 2011 and 2018. The data are consistent with receiving contributions from a mixture of $\itΛ$ resonances with different spin-parity quantum numbers. The angular coefficients show a pattern of vector-axial vector interference that is a characteristic of the type of flavour-changing neutral-current transition relevant for these decays.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Amplitude analysis of the $Ξ^+_c\to pK^-π^+$ decay and $Ξ^+_c$ baryon polarization measurement in semileptonic beauty-hadron decays

An amplitude analysis of the $Ξ^+_c\to pK^-π^+$ decay together with a measurement of the $Ξ^+_c$ polarization vector in semileptonic beauty-hadron decays is presented. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$. An amplitude model is developed and the resonance fractions as well as two- and three-body decay parameters are reported. A sizeable $Ξ^+_c$ polarization is found. A large sensitivity of the $Ξ^+_c\to pK^-π^+$ decay to the polarization is seen, making the amplitude model suitable for $Ξ^+_c$ polarization measurements in other systems.

hep-ex↗

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.

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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

First observation of the $\mathitΛ_b^{0}\!\rightarrow\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}K^{+}K^{-}$ decay and search for pentaquarks in the $\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}$ system

The $\mathitΛ_b^{0}\!\rightarrow\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}K^{+}K^{-}$ decay is observed for the first time using the data sample from proton-proton collisions recorded at a center-of-mass energy of $13\,\text{TeV}$ with the LHCb detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $6\,\text{fb}^{-1}$. The ratio of branching fraction to that of $\mathitΛ_b^{0} \!\rightarrow\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}$ decays is measured as $0.0141 \pm 0.0019 \pm 0.0012$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. A search for hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness is performed in the $\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}$ system. No evidence is found, and upper limits on the production ratio of $P_{c\bar{c}s}(4338)^0$ and $P_{c\bar{c}s}(4459)^0$ pentaquarks relative to the $\mathitΛ_{c}^{+}D_{s}^{-}$ final state are set at the $95\%$ confidence level as $0.12$ and $0.20$, respectively.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Measurements of $ψ{(2S)}$ and $χ_{c1}(3872)$ production within fully reconstructed jets

This paper presents the first measurement of $ψ{(2S)}$ and $χ_{c1}(3872)$ meson production within fully reconstructed jets. Each quarkonium state (tag) is reconstructed via its decay to the $J/ψ$($\rightarrowμ^+μ^-$)$π^+π^-$ final state in the forward region using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at the center-of-mass-energy of $13 \text{TeV}$ in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $1.64 \text{fb}^{-1}$. The fragmentation function, presented as the ratio of the quarkonium-tag transverse momentum to the full jet transverse momentum ($p_{\mathrm{T}}(\text{tag})/p_{\mathrm{T}}(\text{jet})$), is measured differentially in $p_{\mathrm{T}}(\text{jet})$ and $p_{\mathrm{T}}(\text{tag})$ bins. The distributions are separated into promptly produced quarkonia from proton-proton collisions and quarkonia produced from displaced $b$-hadron decays. While the displaced quarkonia fragmentation functions are in general well described by parton-shower predictions, the prompt quarkonium distributions differ significantly from fixed-order non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) predictions followed by a QCD parton shower.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

First evidence of $CP$ violation in beauty baryon to charmonium decays

A study of the difference in the $CP$ asymmetries between ${\Lambda}^0_b \rightarrow J / \psi p \pi^-$ and ${\Lambda}^0_b \rightarrow J / \psi p K^-$ decays, $\Delta {\cal A}_{CP}$, is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb experiment in the years 2015--2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $6 \,{\rm fb}^{-1}$. This quantity is measured to be $ \Delta {\cal A}_{CP}=(4.03\pm 1.18\pm 0.23)\%$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. When combined with the previous LHCb result, a value of $\Delta {\cal A}_{CP} = (4.31 \pm 1.06 \pm 0.28)\%$ is obtained, corresponding to a significance of $3.9\sigma$ against the $CP$ symmetry hypothesis. Studies of triple-product asymmetries, which provide an additional probe of $CP$ violation, show no significant deviation from $CP$ symmetry.

hep-ex↗