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Heavy flavor decays of the Z(0) and a search for flavor changing neutral currents

Posted on:2005-01-03Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:University of OregonCandidate:Walston, Sean EricFull Text:PDF
GTID:1451390008477941Subject:Physics
Abstract/Summary:
Presented here are the results of a direct search for flavor changing neutral currents via the rare process Z0 → bs and a measurement of Rbs=G&parl0;Z0→bs&parr0; G&parl0;Z0→ hadrons&parr0; . Because the decays Z0 → bb¯ and Z0 → cc¯ contribute significant backgrounds to Z 0 → bs, simultaneous measurements of Rb=G&parl0;Z0→b b&parr0;G&parl0;Z0→ hadrons&parr0; and Rc=G&parl0;Z0→c c&parr0;G&parl0;Z0→ hadrons&parr0; were also made. The standard double tag technique was extended and self calibrating tags were used for s, c, and b quarks. These measurements were made possible by the unique capabilities of the SLAC Large Detector (SLD) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC): The b and c tags relied upon the SLD's VXD3 307 megapixel CCD vertex detector for topological and kinematic reconstruction of the B and D decay vertices; the s tag identified K +/- mesons using the particle identification capabilities of SLD's Cherenkov Ring Imaging Detector (CRID), and K0S mesons and Λ hadrons by kinematic reconstruction of their decay vertices in SLD's 5120 channel central drift chamber (CDC) particle tracking system.
Keywords/Search Tags:Flavor
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