Data reconstruction with the LHCb VELO: Hit processing, tracking, vertexing and luminosity monitoring

The LHCb experiment is dedicated to performing a detailed study of CP symmetry violation and rare decays of B and D mesons. In order to reach these physics goals the LHCb spectrometer must provide excellent vertexing and tracking performance both off-line and on-line in the trigger. The LHCb VELO (VErtex LOcator) is the silicon microstrip detector which surrounds the collision point and hence is critical to these aims. Its hit processing and zero suppression is performed in a series of algorithms implemented on FPGAs. The tuning of the parameters of these algorithms is performed using a bit-perfect emulation of these algorithms integrated in to the full off-line software of the experiment. Tracking and vertexing is then performed using the clusters produced. These algorithms are described and the results for primary and secondary vertex resolutions are given. Finally, a novel technique for measuring the absolute luminosity using gas injection in the VELO is described

Velo Event Model

This note presents the Velo Event Model, it describes the classes and data flow used in the Velo software for all stages up to and including the clusters. The description is provided for the classes used for both the real data and the simulation. This description includes the data classes used during the standard running and simulation of the experiment, and all classes defined for calibration and commissioning

Description of the Vetra Project and its Application for the VELO Detector

Vetra is the LHCb data reconstruction project which emulates the performance of the TELL1 readout board processing algorithms. This project is required for monitoring and commissioning the LHCb silicon detectors. A bit-perfect emulation of the TELL1 processing algorithms is performed. This project allows raw data (non-zero suppressed) to be processed to produce the standard zero suppressed cluster data, used by the LHCb reconstruction project Brunel. The Vetra framework is used by the VELO and ST detectors in LHCb. This note provides a general description of Vetra but concentrates on the VELO usage. Vetra is used to monitor the performance of the detector and the data acquisition board algorithms. The parameters that control the data acquisition boards are determined and optimised using Vetra. The project is used widely in the VELO and is used for testbeam and laboratory tests, including production testing for the modules

Testbeam studies of pre-prototype silicon strip sensors for the LHCb UT upgrade project

The LHCb experiment is preparing for a major upgrade in 2018-2019. One of the key components in the upgrade is a new silicon tracker situated upstream of the analysis magnet of the experiment. The Upstream Tracker (UT) will consist of four planes of silicon strip detectors, with each plane covering an area of about 2 m$^2$. An important consideration of these detectors is their performance after they have been exposed to a large radiation dose. In this article we present test beam results of pre-prototype n-in-p and p-in-n sensors that have been irradiated with fluences up to $4.0\times10^{14}$ $n_{\rm eq}$ cm$^{-2}$.Comment: 25 pages, 20 figure

Performance of the LHCb Vertex Detector Alignment Algorithm determined with Beam Test Data

LHCb is the dedicated heavy flavour experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The partially assembled silicon vertex locator (VELO) of the LHCb experiment has been tested in a beam test. The data from this beam test have been used to determine the performance of the VELO alignment algorithm. The relative alignment of the two silicon sensors in a module and the relative alignment of the modules has been extracted. This alignment is shown to be accurate at a level of approximately 2 micron and 0.1 mrad for translations and rotations, respectively in the plane of the sensors. A single hit precision at normal track incidence of about 10 micron is obtained for the sensors. The alignment of the system is shown to be stable at better than the 10 micron level under air to vacuum pressure changes and mechanical movements of the assembled system.Comment: accepted for publication in NIM

CP asymmetry in B→ϕKSB \to \phi K_S in a general two-Higgs-doublet model with fourth-generation quarks

We discuss the time-dependent CP asymmetry of decay $B \to \phi K_S$ in an extension of the Standard Model with both two Higgs doublets and additional fourth-generation quarks. We show that although the Standard Model with two-Higgs-doublet and the Standard model with fourth generation quarks alone are not likely to largely change the effective $\sin 2 \beta$ from the decay of $B \to \phi K_S$, the model with both additional Higgs doublet and fourth-generation quarks can easily account for the possible large negative value of $\sin 2 \beta$ without conflicting with other experimental constraints. In this model, additional large CP violating effects may arise from the flavor changing Yukawa interactions between neutral Higgs bosons and the heavy fourth generation down type quark, which can modify the QCD penguin contributions. With the constraints obtained from $b \to s \bar{s} s$ processes such as $B \to X_s \gamma$ and $\Delta m_{B_s^0}$, this model can lead to the effective $\sin 2 \beta$ to be as large as $- 0.4$ in the CP asymmetry of $B \to \phi K_S$.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, references added, to appear in Eur.Phys.J.

Search for the rare decays B0→J/ψγB^{0}\to J/\psi \gamma and Bs0→J/ψγB^{0}_{s} \to J/\psi \gamma

A search for the rare decay of a $B^{0}$ or $B^{0}_{s}$ meson into the final state $J/\psi\gamma$ is performed, using data collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and $8$ TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$. The observed number of signal candidates is consistent with a background-only hypothesis. Branching fraction values larger than $1.7\times 10^{-6}$ for the $B^{0}\to J/\psi\gamma$ decay mode are excluded at 90% confidence level. For the $B^{0}_{s}\to J/\psi\gamma$ decay mode, branching fraction values larger than $7.4\times 10^{-6}$ are excluded at 90% confidence level, this is the first branching fraction limit for this decay.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-044.htm

A model-independent confirmation of the Z(4430)−Z(4430)^- state

The decay $B^0\to \psi(2S) K^+\pi^-$ is analyzed using $\rm 3~fb^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data collected with the LHCb detector. A model-independent description of the $\psi(2S) \pi$ mass spectrum is obtained, using as input the $K\pi$ mass spectrum and angular distribution derived directly from data, without requiring a theoretical description of resonance shapes or their interference. The hypothesis that the $\psi(2S)\pi$ mass spectrum can be described in terms of $K\pi$ reflections alone is rejected with more than 8$\sigma$ significance. This provides confirmation, in a model-independent way, of the need for an additional resonant component in the mass region of the $Z(4430)^-$ exotic state.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-038.htm

Study of charmonium production in b -hadron decays and first evidence for the decay Bs0

Using decays to φ-meson pairs, the inclusive production of charmonium states in b-hadron decays is studied with pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Denoting byBC ≡ B(b → C X) × B(C → φφ) the inclusive branching fraction of a b hadron to a charmonium state C that decays into a pair of φ mesons, ratios RC1C2 ≡ BC1 /BC2 are determined as Rχc0ηc(1S) = 0.147 ± 0.023 ± 0.011, Rχc1ηc(1S) =0.073 ± 0.016 ± 0.006, Rχc2ηc(1S) = 0.081 ± 0.013 ± 0.005,Rχc1 χc0 = 0.50 ± 0.11 ± 0.01, Rχc2 χc0 = 0.56 ± 0.10 ± 0.01and Rηc(2S)ηc(1S) = 0.040 ± 0.011 ± 0.004. Here and below the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.Upper limits at 90% confidence level for the inclusive production of X(3872), X(3915) and χc2(2P) states are obtained as RX(3872)χc1 < 0.34, RX(3915)χc0 < 0.12 andRχc2(2P)χc2 < 0.16. Differential cross-sections as a function of transverse momentum are measured for the ηc(1S) andχc states. The branching fraction of the decay B0s → φφφ is measured for the first time, B(B0s → φφφ) = (2.15±0.54±0.28±0.21B)×10−6. Here the third uncertainty is due to the branching fraction of the decay B0s → φφ, which is used for normalization. No evidence for intermediate resonances is seen. A preferentially transverse φ polarization is observed.The measurements allow the determination of the ratio of the branching fractions for the ηc(1S) decays to φφ and p p asB(ηc(1S)→ φφ)/B(ηc(1S)→ p p) = 1.79 ± 0.14 ± 0.32