Search for radiative b-hadron decays in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

TL;DR

This study searched for radiative decays of b-hadrons in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV, setting upper limits on their branching fractions using two photon detection methods in the Collider Detector at Fermilab.

Contribution

It introduces two independent methods for identifying photons from b-hadron decays and provides the first upper limits on these rare radiative decay branching fractions.

Findings

Upper limit for B(B_d -> K*0 gamma) < 1.4 x 10^(-4)

Upper limit for B(B_s -> phi gamma) < 1.6 x 10^(-4)

Upper limit for B(Lambda_b -> Lambda gamma) < 1.9 x 10^(-3)

Abstract

We have performed a search for radiative b-hadron decays using events produced in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV and collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The decays we considered were B_d -> K*0(-> K+ pi-) gamma, B_s -> phi(-> K+ K-) gamma, Lambda_b -> Lambda(-> p pi-) gamma, and their charge conjugates. Two independent methods to identify photons from such decays were employed. In the first method, the photon was detected in the electromagnetic calorimeter. In the second method, the photon was identified by an electron-positron pair produced through the external photon conversion before the tracking detector volume. By combining the two methods we obtain upper limits on the branching fractions for the B_d, B_s and Lambda_b radiative decays, which, at the 95% confidence level, are found to be B(B_d -> K*0 gamma) < 1.4 x 10^(-4), B(B_s -> phi gamma) < 1.6 x 10^(-4), and B(Lambda_b -> Lambda gamma) < 1.9 x 10^(-3).