Search for Baryon-Number-Violating Processes in B^{-} Decays to the Ξ[over ¯]_{c}^{0}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} Final State

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• High-Energy Physics
• Quantum Mechanics

Background:

• B mesons are crucial for studying fundamental particle interactions.
• Baryon number violation is a key area of investigation in beyond-Standard-Model physics.
• Charm meson oscillations offer insights into particle mixing phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To search for direct baryon-number-violating B-meson decays.
• To investigate Ξc0–Ξ¯c0 oscillations.
• To set limits on the branching fractions and oscillation parameters.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 711 fb⁻¹ of data collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance.
• Utilizing the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e− collider.
• Interpretation of results in the context of Standard Model decays and potential new physics.

Main Results:

• No evidence for baryon number violation in B- decays was observed.
• An upper limit of <2.7% was set for the ratio of baryon-number-violating to Standard Model branching fractions.
• An upper limit of <0.76 ps⁻¹ was set for the Ξc0–Ξ¯c0 oscillation frequency (τmix > 1.3 ps).

Conclusions:

• The study places stringent constraints on new physics scenarios predicting baryon number violation.
• The results provide valuable information on the dynamics of charm meson oscillations.
• This search contributes to the ongoing effort to understand the fundamental forces and particles in the universe.