Observation of B^+ -> psi(2S) K^+ and B^0 -> psi(2S) K^*(892)^0 Decays and Measurements of B-Meson Branching Fractions into J/psi and psi(2S) Final States

TL;DR

This paper reports the observation and measurement of specific B-meson decay modes involving psi(2S) and J/psi particles, providing experimental data that supports theoretical models of hadronic B-meson decays.

Contribution

First observation of B^+ -> psi(2S) K^+ and B^0 -> psi(2S) K^*(892)^0 decays, with precise measurements of their branching fractions and ratios compared to J/psi decay modes.

Findings

Observed B^+ -> psi(2S) K^+ decay.

Measured branching fractions for B^+ and B^0 decays involving psi(2S) and J/psi.

Results consistent with phenomenological factorization calculations.

Abstract

We report the observations of the decays B^+ -> psi(2S) K^+ and B^0 -> psi(2S) K^*(892)^0 in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.8 TeV using a 110 pb^{-1} data sample recorded by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. We also reconstruct the decays B^+ -> J/psi K^+ and B^0 -> J/psi K^*(892)^0 and measure the six ratios of branching fractions of these four decays. The relative branching-fraction results are shown to be consistent with phenomenological factorization calculations of hadronic B-meson decays. We use the world-average branching fraction Br(B^+ -> J/psi K^+) to derive Br(B^+ -> psi(2S) K^+) = (0.56 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.10) x 10^{-3}, Br(B^0 -> psi(2S) K^*(892)^0) = (0.92 +/- 0.20 +/- 0.16) x 10^{-3}, and Br(B^0 -> J/psi K^*(892)^0) = (1.78 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.29) x 10^{-3}, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.