44 Search Results

We present the result of a search for the charged-lepton-flavor violating decays τ⁻ → e^∓ℓ^±ℓ⁻, where ℓ is a muon or an electron, using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 428 fb⁻¹ recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB e⁺e⁻ collider. The selection of e⁺e⁻ → τ⁺τ⁻ events containing a signal candidate is based on an inclusive-tagging reconstruction and on a boosted decision tree to suppress background. Upper limits on the branching fractions between 1.3 and 2.5 × 10⁻⁸ are set at the 90% confidence level. These results are the most stringent bounds to date formore » four of the modes.« less

We report a search for an axion-like particle a in B → K^(*)a decays using data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy electron-positron collider. The search is based on a 711 fb⁻¹ data sample collected at the Υ(4S) resonance energy, corresponding to a sample of 772 × 10⁶ Υ(4S) events. In this study, we search for the decay of the axion-like particle into a pair of photons, a → γγ. We scan the two-photon invariant mass in the range 0.16 GeV–4.50 GeV for the K modes and 0.16 GeV–4.20 GeV for the K^* modes. No significant signalmore » is observed in any of the modes, and 90% confidence level upper limits are established on the coupling to the W boson, g_aW, as a function of a mass. The limits range from 3 × 10⁻⁶ GeV⁻¹ to 3 × 10⁻⁵ GeV⁻¹, improving the current constraints on g_aW by a factor of two over the most stringent previous experimental results.« less

We present a study of the rare charm meson decays 𝐷⁰ →𝐾⁺⁢𝐾⁻⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻, 𝜋⁺⁢𝜋⁻⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻, and 𝐾⁻⁢𝜋⁺⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ using a 942  fb⁻¹ dataset collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy 𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ collider. We identify 𝐷⁰ candidates via the charge of the pion from 𝐷*⁺ →𝐷⁰⁢𝜋⁺ decays and normalize the branching fractions to 𝐷⁰ → 𝐾⁻⁢𝜋⁺⁢𝜋⁻⁢𝜋⁺ decays. The branching fraction for decay 𝐷⁰ → 𝐾⁻⁢𝜋⁺⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ is measured to be (39.6 ± 4.5 (stat) ± 2.9 (syst)) × 10⁻⁷, with the dielectron mass in the 𝜌/𝜔 mass region 675 < 𝑚_𝑒⁢𝑒 < 875  MeV/⁢𝑐². We also search for 𝐷⁰ → ℎ⁻⁡ℎ^(′)+⁡𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ (ℎ^(′) = 𝐾, 𝜋) decays withmore » the dielectron mass near the 𝜂 and 𝜙 resonances, and away from these resonances for the 𝐾⁺⁢𝐾⁻⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ and 𝜋⁺⁢𝜋⁻⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ modes. For these modes, we find no significant signals and set 90% confidence level upper limits on their branching fractions at the 𝒪⁡(10⁻⁷) level.« less

We present a search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decay 𝐵⁰→𝐾^*0⁢𝜏⁺⁢𝜏⁻ with data collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider. The analysis uses a 365 fb⁻¹ data sample recorded at the center-of-mass energy of the ϒ⁡(4⁢𝑆) resonance. One of the 𝐵 mesons produced in the ϒ⁡(4⁢𝑆)→𝐵⁰$$⁢\overline{𝐵}$$⁰ process is fully reconstructed in a hadronic decay mode, while its companion 𝐵 meson is required to decay into a 𝐾^*0 and two 𝜏 leptons of opposite charge. The 𝜏 leptons are reconstructed in final states with a single electron, muon, charged pion or charged 𝜌 meson, and additional neutrinos.more » We set an upper limit on the branching fraction of ℬ⁡(𝐵⁰→𝐾^*0⁢𝜏⁺⁢𝜏⁻)<1.8×10⁻³ at the 90% confidence level, which is the most stringent constraint reported to date.« less

Inelastic dark matter models that have two dark matter particles and a massive dark photon can reproduce the observed relic dark matter density without violating cosmological limits. The mass splitting between the two dark matter particles 𝜒₁ and 𝜒₂, with 𝑚⁡(𝜒₂) >𝑚⁡(𝜒₁), is induced by a dark Higgs field and a corresponding dark Higgs boson ℎ′. We present a search for dark matter in events with two vertices, at least one of which must be displaced from the interaction region, and missing energy. Using a 365 fb⁻¹ data sample collected at Belle II, which operates at the SuperKEKB 𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ collider,more » we observe no evidence for a signal. We set upper limits on the product of the production cross section 𝜎⁡(𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ → ℎ′⁡𝜒₁⁢𝜒₂), and the product of branching fractions ℬ⁡(𝜒₂ → 𝜒_1⁢𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻) ×ℬ⁡(ℎ′ → 𝑥⁺⁢𝑥⁻), where 𝑥⁺⁢𝑥⁻ indicates 𝜇⁺⁢𝜇⁻, 𝜋⁺⁢𝜋⁻, or 𝐾⁺⁢𝐾⁻, as functions of ℎ′ mass and lifetime at the level of 10⁻¹ fb. We set model-dependent upper limits on the dark Higgs mixing angle at the level of 10⁻⁵ and on the dark photon kinetic mixing parameter at the level of 10⁻³. This is the first search for dark Higgs bosons in association with inelastic dark matter.« less

We report measurements of the ratios of branching fractions ℛ⁡(𝐷^(*)+) = ℬ⁡($$\bar{𝐵}$$⁰ → 𝐷^(*)+⁢𝜏^−⁢ $$\bar{𝜈}$$_𝜏)/ℬ⁡($$\bar{𝐵}$$⁰ → 𝐷^(*)+⁢ℓ⁻$$\bar{𝜈}$$_ℓ), where ℓ denotes either an electron or a muon. These ratios test the universality of the charged-current weak interaction. The results are based on a 365 fb⁻¹ data sample collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB 𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ collider, which operates at a center-of-mass energy corresponding to the ϒ⁡(4⁢𝑆) resonance, just above the threshold for $$𝐵\bar{𝐵}$$ production. Signal candidates are reconstructed by selecting events in which the companion 𝐵 meson from the ϒ⁡(4⁢𝑆) → $$𝐵\bar{𝐵}$$ decay is identified in semileptonic modes. Themore » 𝜏 lepton is reconstructed via its leptonic decays. We obtain ℛ⁡(𝐷⁺) = 0.418$$^{+0.075}_{−0.073}$$⁢(stat)$$^{+0.049}_{−0.056}$$⁢(syst) and ℛ⁡(𝐷^*+) = 0.306$$^{+0.035}_{−0.033}$$⁢(stat)$$^{+0.016}_{−0.018⁢}$$(syst), which are consistent with world average values. Accounting for the correlation between them, these values differ from the Standard Model expectation by a collective significance of 1.7 standard deviations.« less

The K-long and muon detector (KLM) constitutes the outer-most volume of the Belle II spectrometer at the interaction region of the SuperKEKB collider in Tsukuba, Japan. The KLM detector was partially upgraded since the Belle experiment by replacing many of its resistive-plate chambers with scintillators containing wavelength-shifting fibers and instrumenting it with silicon photomultipliers. Here, we describe the readout electronics, firmware, and software created to control and acquire data from the scintillators and resistive-plate chambers.

We present the results of a search for charged-lepton-flavor violating decays $${\tau }^{-}\to {{\ell}}^{-}{K}_{s}^{0}$$, where ℓ⁻ is either an electron or a muon. We combine e⁺e⁻ data samples recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider (428 fb⁻¹) with samples recorded by the Belle experiment at the KEKB collider (980 fb⁻¹) to obtain a sample of 1.3 billion e⁺e⁻ → τ⁺τ⁻ events. We observe 0 and 1 events and set 90% confidence level upper limits of 0.8 × 10⁻⁸ and 1.2 × 10⁻⁸ on the branching fractions of the decay modes $${\tau }^{-}\to {e}^{-}{K}_{S}^{0}$$ and $${\tau }^{-}\to {\mumore » }^{-}{K}_{S}^{0}$$, respectively. These are the most stringent upper limits to date.« less

We present the first search for the lepton-flavor-violating decay modes 𝐵⁰ →𝐾$$^0_𝑆$$⁢𝜏^±⁢ℓ^∓ (ℓ=𝜇,𝑒) using the 711 and 365 fb⁻¹ data samples recorded by the Belle and Belle II detectors, respectively. We use a hadronic 𝐵-tagging technique to fully reconstruct a 𝐵 meson and search for signal decays in the system recoiling against the tagged meson, considering 𝜏 decays to either light leptons, one charged hadron, or one charged hadron and a neutral pion. We find no evidence for 𝐵⁰ →𝐾$$^0_𝑆$$⁢𝜏^±⁢ℓ^∓ decays and set 90% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions in the range of [0.8,3.6] ×10⁻⁵.

Using data samples of 102 million ϒ⁡(1⁢𝑆) events and 158 million ϒ⁡(2⁢𝑆) events collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy 𝑒+⁢𝑒− collider, we search for [𝑢⁢𝑑⁢𝑠⁢𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$ ] pentaquark states decaying to 𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ. Using the first observations of ϒ⁡(1⁢𝑆,2⁢𝑆) inclusive decays to 𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ, we find evidence of the 𝑃_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰ state with a local significance of 3.3 standard deviations, including statistical and systematic uncertainties. We measure the mass and width of the 𝑃_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰ to be (4471.7±4.8±0.6) MeV/𝑐² and (22 ±13 ±3) MeV, respectively. The branching fractions for 𝑃_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰ production are measured to be ℬ⁡[ϒ⁡(1⁢𝑆)→𝑃_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)0/ $$\overline{𝑃}$$_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰+anything]=(3.5±2.0±0.2)×10⁻⁶ and ℬ⁡[ϒ⁡(2⁢𝑆)→𝑃_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰/$$\overline{𝑃}$$_{𝑐$$\overline{𝑐}$$𝑠}⁢(4459)⁰+anything]=(2.9±1.7±0.4)×10⁻⁶. The inclusive branchingmore » fractions of ϒ⁡(1⁢𝑆,2⁢𝑆) →𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ/$$\overline{Λ}$$ are measured to be ℬ⁡[ϒ⁡(1⁢𝑆) →𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ/$$\overline{Λ}$$ +anything] =(36.9 ±5.3 ±2.4) ×10⁻⁶ and ℬ⁡[ϒ⁡(2⁢𝑆) →𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ/$$\overline{Λ}$$ +anything] =(22.3 ±5.7 ±3.1) ×10⁻⁶. We measure the visible cross section 𝜎⁡(𝑒+⁢𝑒−→𝐽/𝜓⁢Λ/ $$\overline{Λ}$$ +anything)=(90±14±6) fb for the continuum production at √𝑠 =10.52 GeV. In all cases, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.« less