Measurement of the effective $B_s^0 \rightarrow K^+ K^-$ lifetime

TL;DR

This paper measures the effective lifetime of the $B_s^0 ightarrow K^+ K^-$ decay using a bias-free neural network technique, providing data crucial for testing the Standard Model and exploring new physics.

Contribution

It introduces a neural network based trigger and selection method that avoids lifetime bias in $B_s^0$ decay measurements.

Findings

Measured $B_s^0 ightarrow K^+ K^-$ lifetime as 1.455 ps

Used 1.0 fb$^{-1}$ of LHCb data

Achieved precise lifetime determination with minimal bias

Abstract

A precise determination of the effective $B_s^0 \rightarrow K^+ K^-$ lifetime can be used to constrain contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model in the $B_s^0$ meson system. Conventional approaches select $B$ meson decay products that are significantly displaced from the $B$ meson production vertex. As a consequence, $B$ mesons with low decay times are suppressed, introducing a bias to the decay time spectrum which must be corrected. This analysis uses a technique that explicitly avoids a lifetime bias by using a neural network based trigger and event selection. Using 1.0 fb$^{-1}$ of data recorded by the LHCb experiment, the effective $B_s^0 \rightarrow K^+ K^-$ lifetime is measured as $1.455 \pm 0.046 \; \mathrm{(stat.)} \pm 0.006 \; \mathrm{(syst.)} \, \mathrm{ps}.$