Measurement of the D(s)+ lifetime

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• High Energy Physics

Background:

• The D(s)+ meson is a key particle in understanding fundamental interactions.
• Accurate lifetime measurements are crucial for testing theoretical models in particle physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a high-statistics measurement of the D(s)+ meson lifetime.
• To improve the precision of the D(s)+ lifetime compared to existing world averages.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of D(s)+ decays from the Fermilab FOCUS photoproduction experiment.
• Utilized two primary decay modes: D(s)+ --> phi(1020)pi+ and D(s)+ --> K*(892)0K+.

Main Results:

• Measured D(s)+ lifetime: 507.4 +/- 5.5(stat) +/- 5.1(syst) fs.
• Analyzed 8961 +/- 105 decays of D(s)+ --> phi(1020)pi+.
• Analyzed 4680 +/- 90 decays of D(s)+ --> K*(892)0K+.

Conclusions:

• The presented measurement offers a significant improvement in precision for the D(s)+ lifetime.
• This result provides a more stringent test for theoretical predictions in particle physics.