Improving systematic uncertainties on precision two-body mass measurements.

Area of Science:

• Particle Physics
• High Energy Physics
• Experimental Techniques

Background:

• Precision mass measurements in particle physics require understanding detector effects.
• Existing methods for correcting detector-related uncertainties are often ad hoc.
• Accurate determination of the Lambda hyperon mass is limited by current experimental data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of detector-related uncertainties on parent particle mass determination in two-body decays.
• To develop a rigorous method for identifying the physical causes of mass biases.
• To improve the precision of the Lambda hyperon mass measurement.

Main Methods:

• Analyzing the dependence of observed mass shifts on daughter particle momenta.
• Applying the developed method to the measurement of the Lambda hyperon mass.
• Utilizing data from the LHCb experiment.

Main Results:

• A novel approach is presented to rigorously identify and correct for detector-induced mass biases.
• The LHCb experiment can measure the Lambda hyperon mass with systematic uncertainties of 0.7 keV/c^2 from the tracking system.
• A total precision of 2.2 keV/c^2 is achievable, limited by the calibration K_s^0 mass uncertainty.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a more rigorous way to address detector effects in particle mass measurements.
• The proposed technique allows for a significant improvement in the precision of the Lambda hyperon mass.
• This work paves the way for a threefold enhancement of the current knowledge of the Lambda hyperon mass.