Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
09:23
Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Observation of D0-D0 oscillations
R Aaij1, C Abellan Beteta, A Adametz
1Nikhef National Institute for Subatomic Physics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Physical Review Letters
|March 26, 2013
Summary
Researchers observed D0-D0 oscillations, a key phenomenon in particle physics, for the first time in a single measurement. This study provides crucial data on charm meson mixing and decay rates, advancing our understanding of fundamental particle interactions.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- High Energy Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
Background:
- The study of charm mesons is crucial for understanding fundamental particle interactions and CP violation.
- D0-D0 oscillations, a quantum mechanical phenomenon, involve the oscillation of a neutral D meson between its particle and antiparticle states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure the time-dependent ratio of D0 → K+π- to D0 → K-π+ decay rates.
- To determine the charm meson mixing parameters (x'2, y') and the ratio of doubly-Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored decay rates (R(D)).
- To provide the first observation of D0-D0 oscillations from a single measurement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized D(*+)-tagged events recorded by the LHCb experiment.
- Analyzed 1.0 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity.
- Performed a time-dependent analysis of decay rates to extract mixing parameters.
Main Results:
- Measured the mixing parameters x'2 = (-0.9 ± 1.3) × 10⁻⁴ and y' = (7.2 ± 2.4) × 10⁻³.
- Measured the ratio R(D) = (3.52 ± 0.15) × 10⁻³.
- Excluded the no-mixing hypothesis with 9.1 standard deviations, confirming D0-D0 oscillations.
Conclusions:
- The results provide the first observation of D0-D0 oscillations in a single measurement.
- The findings offer precise measurements of charm meson mixing and decay parameters.
- This study significantly contributes to the understanding of fundamental symmetries in particle physics.
Related Concept Videos
01:07Damped Oscillations
In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Although friction and other non-conservative...
01:04Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
Stability is an important concept in oscillation. If an equilibrium point is stable, a slight disturbance of an object that is initially at the stable equilibrium point will cause the object to oscillate around that point. For an unstable equilibrium point, if the object is disturbed slightly, it will not return to the equilibrium point. There are three conditions for equilibrium points—stable, unstable, and half-stable. A half-stable equilibrium point is also unstable, but is named so because...
01:06Forced Oscillations
When an oscillator is forced with a periodic driving force, the motion may seem chaotic. The motions of such oscillators are known as transients. After the transients die out, the oscillator reaches a steady state, where the motion is periodic, and the displacement is determined.
01:12Fermi Level Dynamics
The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
01:30Oscillations In An LC Circuit
An idealized LC circuit of zero resistance can oscillate without any source of emf by shifting the energy stored in the circuit between the electric and magnetic fields. In such an LC circuit, if the capacitor contains a charge q before the switch is closed, then all the energy of the circuit is initially stored in the electric field of the capacitor. This energy is given by
01:11Atomic Nuclei: Larmor Precession Frequency
The earth's gravitational field produces a 'twisting force' perpendicular to the angular momentum of a spinning mass (such as a spinning top) that causes the mass to 'wobble' around the gravitational field axis in a phenomenon called precession. Similarly, the magnetic moment (μ) of a spinning nucleus precesses due to an external magnetic field directed along the z-axis. The precession of the magnetic moment vector about the magnetic field is called Larmor precession, and the angular frequency...