Physics of B Mesons at CDF

The principal interest in studying B hadrons in the context of the Standard Model arises from the fact that B hadron decays provide valuable information on the weak mixing matrix, the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix. Eigenstates of the weak interaction Hamiltonian are not the same as the quark mass eigenstates. The matrix used to transform between these bases is called the CKM matrix. In fact, measurements of B hadron decay rates, as well as observation of B-Bbar mixing, allow the determination of five of the nine CKM matrix elements.

Traditionally, B physics has been the domain of e+ e- machines, but already the UA1 collaboration at CERN has shown that B physics is feasible at a hadron collider. However, the combination of a better mass resolution and vertex detection with the Silicon Vertex Detector (see this example with explanation) enables the CDF experiment at Fermilab to perform a broad B physics program. The future interest in B physics lies in the study of CP violation in the system of neutral B mesons.

Please visit the Workshop on B Physics at the Tevatron web page for an overview of B physics prospects during Tevatron Run II and beyond.

The LBNL group (contact Marjorie Shapiro) is involved in

Measurement of B hadron lifetimes:
For example Bs lifetime measurement (see also CDF B hadron summary or this plot.)

Time evolution of B0 oscillations:
For example B0 mixing with jet charge and lepton tags (see also summary of B oscillation results from CDF or this plot.)

Work towards the study of CP violation:
View CDF's plans to measure CP violation as outlined in the CDF Technical Design Report for Run II which is scheduled to start in 2001.

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