Observation of $Λ_{b}^{0} \to Λ_{c}^{+} \bar{D}^{(*)0} K^{-}$ and $Λ_{b}^{0} \to Λ_{c}^{+} D_{s}^{*-}$ decays

Abstract

The decays $Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+\bar{D}^{(*)0}K^-$ and $Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ D_s^{*-}$ are observed for the first time, in proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb${}^{-1}$ collected with the LHCb detector. Their ratios of branching fractions with respect to the $Λ_b^0\!\toΛ_c^+\mathrm{D}_s^-$ mode are measured to be \begin{align*} \begin{split} \frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+\bar{D}^0 K^-)}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ D_s^-)} & = 0.1908 {}_{-0.0034}^{+0.0036} {}_{-0.0018}^{+0.0016} \pm 0.0038 \frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+\bar{D}^{*0} K^-)}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ D_s^-)} & = 0.589 {}_{-0.017}^{+0.018} {}_{-0.018}^{+0.017} \pm 0.012 \frac{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ D_s^{*-})}{\mathcal{B}(Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ D_s^-)} & = 1.668 \pm 0.022 {}_{-0.055}^{+0.061}\ , \end{split} \end{align*} where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second systematic, and the third, for the $Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ \bar{D}^{(*)0} K^-$ decays, are due to the uncertainties on the branching fractions of the $D_s^- \to K^- K^+ π^-$ and $\bar{D}^0 \to K^+π^-$ decay modes. The measured branching fractions probe factorization assumptions in effective theories and provide the normalization for future pentaquark searches in $Λ_b^0 \to Λ_c^+ \bar{D}^{(*)0}K^-$ decay channels.

All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2023-034.html (LHCb public pages); v2 after journal review