We calculate differential cross sections for $c \bar c$- and $b \bar b$-dijet production in $pp$-scattering at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV in the $k_T$-factorization and hybrid approaches with different unintegrated parton distribution functions (uPDFs). We present distributions in transverse momentum and pseudorapidity of the leading jet, rapidity difference between the jets and the dijet invariant mass. Our results are compared to recent LHCb data on forward production of heavy flavour dijets, measured recently for the first time individually for both, charm and bottom flavours. We found that an agreement between the predictions and the data within the full $k_T$-factorization is strongly related to the modelling of the large-$x$ behaviour of the gluon uPDFs which is usually not well constrained. The problem may be avoided following the hybrid factorization approach. Then a good description of the measured distributions is obtained with the Parton-Branching, the Kimber-Martin-Ryskin, the Kutak-Sapeta and the Jung setA0 CCFM gluon uPDFs. We calculate also differential distributions for the ratio of $c \bar c$ and $b \bar b$ cross sections. In all cases we obtain the ratio close to 1 which is caused by the condition on minimal jet transverse momentum ($p_{T}^{\mathrm{jet}} > 20$ GeV) introduced in the experiment, that makes the role of heavy quark mass almost negligible. The LHCb experimental ratio seems a bit larger. We discuss potentially important for the ratio effect of $c$- or $b$-quark gluon radiative corrections related to emission outside of the jet cone. The found effect seems rather small. More refine calculation requires full simulation of $c$- and $b$-jets which goes beyond of the scope of the present paper.
We derive the consequences of the MFV hypothesis for $ΔF =1$ flavour observables based on the latest LHCb data. Any future measurements beyond the MFV bounds and relations unambiguously indicate the existence of new flavour structures next to the Yukawa couplings of the Standard Model.
The coupling of the electroweak gauge bosons of the Standard Model (SM) to leptons is flavour universal. Extensions of the SM do not necessarily have this property. Rare decays of heavy flavour are suppressed in the SM and new particles may give sizeable contributions to these processes, therefore, their precise study allows for sensitive tests of lepton flavour universality. Of particular interest are rare b to sll decays that are well accessible at the LHCb experiment. Recent results from LHCb on lepton flavour universality in rare b to sll decays are discussed.
Semileptonic $b \rightarrow s\ell \ell$ processes constitute a good probe for new physics phenomena: new particles contributing to the loops could affect branching fractions and angular distributions, and have different couplings to different lepton families, thus violating lepton flavour universality. Recent results from the LHCb experiment are reviewed.
Heavy flavour physics provides excellent opportunities to indirectly search for new physics at very high energy scales and to study hadron properties for deep understanding of the strong interaction. The LHCb experiment has been playing a leading role in the study of heavy flavour physics since the start of the LHC operations about ten years ago, and made a range of high-precision measurements and unexpected discoveries, which may have far-reaching implications on the field of particle physics. This review highlights a selection of the most influential physics results on CP violation, rare dec…
The impact of recent measurements of heavy-flavour production in deep inelastic $ep$ scattering and in $pp$ collisions on parton distribution functions is studied in a QCD analysis in the fixed-flavour number scheme at next-to-leading order. Differential cross sections of charm- and beauty-hadron production measured by LHCb are used together with inclusive and heavy-flavour production cross sections in deep inelastic scattering at HERA. The heavy-flavour data of the LHCb experiment impose additional constraints on the gluon and the sea-quark distributions at low partonic fractions $x$ of the p…
A range of flavour physics observables show tensions with their corresponding Standard Model expectations: measurements of leptonic flavour-changing neutral current processes and ratios of semi-leptonic branching fractions involving different generations of leptons show deviations of the order of four standard deviations. If confirmed, either would be an intriguing sign of new physics. In this manuscript, we analyse the current experimental situation of such processes and for the first time estimate the combined impact of the future datasets of the Belle II and LHCb experiments on the present …
The direct searches for Beyond Standard Model (BSM) particles have been constraining their mass scale to the extent where it is now becoming consensual that such particles are likely to be above the energy reach of the LHC. Meanwhile, the studies of indirect probes of BSM physics, with all their diversity, have been progressing both in accurracy and in setting up observables with reduced theoretical uncertainties. The observation of flavour anomalies in $b$ hadron decays represents an important part of the program of indirect detection of BSM physics. Several benchmark analyses involving lepto…
In the Standard Model of particle physics, charged leptons of different flavour couple to the electroweak force carriers with the same interaction strength. This property, known as lepton flavour universality, was found to be consistent with experimental evidence in a wide range of particle decays. Lepton flavour universality can be tested by comparing branching fractions in ratios such as $R_K = \mathcal{B}(B^+ \rightarrow K^+ μ^+ μ^-)/\mathcal{B}(B^+ \rightarrow K^+ e^+ e^-)$. This observable is measured using proton-proton collision data recorded with the LHCb detector at CERN's Large Hadro…
The startup of the LHC opens many new frontiers in precision flavour physics, in particular expanding the field of precision time-dependent CP violation measurements to the $B^0_s$ system. This contribution reviews the status of time-dependent measurements of the CKM angle $γ$ at the LHC's dedicated flavour physics experiment, LHCb. Particular attention is given to the measurement of $γ$ from the decay mode \DsK, a theoretically clean and precise method which is unique to LHCb. The performance of the LHCb detector for this and related modes is reviewed in light of early data taking and found t…
We calculate the next-to-leading-order cross section for the inclusive production of $Λ_b$ baryons in pp collisions in the general-mass variable-flavor-number scheme. We use realistic evolved non-perturbative fragmentation functions obtained from fits to B-meson production in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation and compare our results for transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions with recent experimental data from the CMS and the LHCb collaborations at the CERN LHC. We find satisfactory agreement in general, with some indication for the need to modify the available fragmentation functions at larger va…
The impact of measurements of heavy-flavour production in deep inelastic $ep$ scattering and in $pp$ collisions on parton distribution functions is studied in a QCD analysis at next-to-leading order. Recent combined results of inclusive and heavy-flavour production cross sections in deep inelastic scattering at HERA are investigated together with heavy-flavour production measurements at the LHC. Differential cross sections of charm- and beauty-hadron production measured by the LHCb collaboration at the centre-of-mass energies of 5, 7 and 13 TeV as well as the recent measurements of the ALICE e…
We quantify the constraints on the flavour separation between the quarks and antiquarks in the proton provided by the recent forward weak gauge boson production data from the LHCb experiment at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and 8 TeV. Performed in the framework of the NNPDF3.1 global analysis, this study highlights the key role that the LHCb W and Z data have in achieving a robust quark flavour separation in the large-x region, including the strange and charm quarks. We demonstrate how the LHCb measurements lead to improved determinations of the the up and down quark PDFs in the region $x\ge 0.1$, with an unce…
We analyse the new physics implications of theoretically clean $b \to s$ observables in a model-independent approach and compare their coherence with the implications of other rare $B$-decays. A statistical comparison is done between the New Physics explanation and hadronic contributions as the source of the anomalies in angular observables of the $B\to K^*μμ$ decay. We make projections for future measurements that indicate that LHCb will be in the position to discover lepton non-universality via a single observable using the Run 3 data. The global fit of rare $B$-decays is given within a mult…
Several experiments observed deviations from the Standard Model (SM) in the flavour sector: LHCb found a $4-5\,σ$ discrepancy compared to the SM in $b\to sμ^+μ^-$ transitions (recently supported by an Belle analysis) and CMS reported a non-zero measurement of $h\toμτ$ with a significance of $2.4\,σ$. Furthermore, BELLE, BABAR and LHCb founds hints for the violation of flavour universality in $B\to D^{(*)}τν$. In addition, there is the long-standing discrepancy in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Interestingly, all these anomalies are related to muons and taus, while the corresponding…
We discuss the new constraints on gluon parton distribution function (PDF) in lead nucleus, derivable with the Hessian PDF reweighting method from the 5.02 TeV p+Pb measurements of dijet (CMS) and $D^0$-meson (LHCb) nuclear modification ratios. The impact is found to be significant, placing stringent constraints in the mid- and previously unconstrained small-$x$ regions. The CMS dijet data confirm the existence of gluon anti-shadowing and the onset of small-$x$ shadowing, as well as reduce the gluon PDF uncertainties in the larger-$x$ region. The gluon constraints from the LHCb $D^0$ data, rea…
Several experiments observed deviations from the Standard Model (SM) in the flavour sector: LHCb found a $4-5\,σ$ discrepancy compared to the SM in $b\to sμ^+μ^-$ transitions (recently supported by an Belle analysis) and CMS reported a non-zero measurement of $h\toμτ$ with a significance of $2.4\,σ$. Furthermore, BELLE, BABAR and LHCb founds hints for the violation of flavour universality in $B\to D^{(*)}τν$. In addition, there is the long-standing discrepancy in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Interestingly, all these anomalies are related to muons and taus, while the corresponding…
Rare decays of heavy-flavoured particles provide an ideal laboratory to look for deviations from the Standard Model, and explore energy regimes beyond the LHC reach. Decays proceeding via electroweak penguin diagrams are excellent probes to search for New Physics, and $b \to s \ell^{+}\ell^{-}$ processes are particularly interesting since they give access to many observables such as branching fractions, asymmetries and angular observables. Recent results from the LHCb experiment are reviewed.
In this high-$x$ region, both the flavour content and structure of the nucleon parton distribution functions remains relatively poorly known. New LHCb measurements of Z and charm jet associated production could indicate a valence-like intrinsic-charm component in the proton wave function, and measurements of Z production in pPb collisions provide new constraints on the partonic structure of nucleons bound inside nuclei. Here we will discuss these new LHCb measurements and comparisons with state-of-the-art parton distribution function calculations.
During last decade a number of detailed analyses of flavour observables and of their correlations within more than a dozen specific BSM models have been performed at the TUM. One of the goals of these analyses was to investigate which model is capable of obtaining large mixing induced CP asymmetry in the B_s system, S_{psi phi}, and to find out what this would imply for other flavour observables. In this context also the rare decays B_{s,d}->mu^+ mu^- have been considered. In some models their branching ratios can be enhanced by orders of magnitude above the SM expectations. The recent data on…
Rare decays are flavour changing neutral current processes that are loop-suppressed in the Standard Model (SM). New particles in SM extensions can therefore give significant contributions, modifying branching fractions and angular distributions. Consequently, rare decays are particularly sensitive probes for New Physics (NP). These proceedings summarize the latest results from the LHCb experiment on rare decays. While most results are in good agreement with SM predictions, some tensions that recently appeared in rare semileptonic $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ decays are also discussed.
We discuss the implications of B_s -> mu+mu- and B -> K*mu+mu- decays in the context of indirect searches for new physics, emphasising the new LHCb results. In particular, we derive the consequences of the MFV hypothesis and discuss the importance of the MFV predictions. The impact of the recent LHCb measurements in the context of the MSSM will also be addressed, and the SuperIso program will be briefly described.
In this work, the impact of recent measurements of heavy-flavour production in $pp$ collisions on parton distribution functions (PDFs) and their uncertainties is studied. In this regard, the absolute and normalised cross sections of beauty hadron production measured by LHCb at center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 13 TeV are separately included in the next-to-leading order (NLO) global QCD analysis together with the measurements of the inclusive and heavy-flavour production cross sections at HERA. It is illustrated that the heavy-flavour data of the LHCb experiment impose additional constraints o…
In view of the emerging hints for the violation of lepton flavour universality in several $B$-meson decays, we conduct a model-independent study (effective field theory approach) of several well-motivated new physics scenarios. Taking into account the most recent LHCb data, we provide updates to Wilson coefficient fits for numerous popular new physics hypotheses. We also consider a promising model of vector leptoquarks, which in addition to explaining the $B$-meson decay anomalies ($R_{K^{(*)}}$ and $R_{D^{(*)}}$) would have an extensive impact for numerous flavour observables. We identify pro…
LHCb found hints for physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) in $B\to K^*μ^+μ^-$, $R(K)$ and $B_s\toϕμ^+μ^-$. These intriguing hints for NP have recently been confirmed by the LHCb measurement of $R(K^*)$ giving a combined significance for NP above the $5\,σ$ level. In addition, the BABAR, BELLE and LHCb results for $B\to D^{(*)}τν$ also point towards lepton flavour universality (LFU) violating new physics (NP). Furthermore, there is the long-standing discrepancy between the measurement and the theory prediction of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon ($a_μ$) at the $3\,σ$ level. Concernin…
We show that the forward-backward asymmetry in top quark pair production can be enhanced by fields that transform nontrivially under the flavour group and satisfy Minimal Flavour Violation, while at the same time the constraints from associated effects on the d σ(t anti-t)/d M_{t anti-t} distribution, dijet resonance searches, same sign top pair production and other phenomenology are satisfied. We work out two examples in detail, one where a scalar colour anti-sextet field, that is also an anti-sextet of SU(3)_U, enhances the forward-backward asymmetry, and one where the enhancement arises fro…
The latest LHCb angular analysis of the rare decay B -> K* mu+ mu- shows some discrepancies from the SM up to the 3.7 sigma level. There is a consistent new physics explanation of these anomalies, while it is also reasonable that these anomalies are just statistical fluctuations and/or a direct consequence of underestimated hadronic uncertainties. We briefly discuss possible cross-checks of the various hypotheses with an analysis of the inclusive B -> Xs l+ l- based on the data collected by the B factories Babar and Belle and also based on future opportunities at SuperBelle. We also present a …
We study the implications of the recent measurements of $R_K$ and $R_{K^*}$ by the LHCb collaboration. We do that by adopting a model-independent approach based on the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), in which the dominant new physics effects are encoded in the coefficients of dimension-six operators respecting the full Standard Model (SM) gauge symmetry. After providing simplified expressions for $R_K$ and $R_{K^\ast}$, we determine the implications of the recent LHCb results for these observables on the coefficients of the SMEFT operators at low and high energies. We also take …
Lepton Flavour Universality tests with semileptonic $Λ_b\toΛ_c^*$ decays are important to corroborate the present anomalies in the similar ratios $R_{D^{(*)}}$, and can provide complementary constraints on possible origins of these anomalies beyond the Standard Model. In this paper we provide - for the first time - all the necessary theoretical ingredients to perform and interpret measurements of $R_{Λ_c^*}$ at the LHCb experiment. For this, we revisit the heavy-quark expansion of the relevant hadronic matrix elements, and provide their expressions to order $α_s$ and $1/m$ accuracy. Moreover, …
We introduce a novel realization of the open heavy-flavour hadroproduction in general-mass variable flavour number scheme at next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD. The principal novelty with respect to the earlier works is in the treatment of small-transverse-momentum limit, which has been a particularly challenging kinematic region in the past. We show that by a suitable choice of scheme, it is possible to obtain a well-behaved description of the open heavy-flavour hadroproduction cross sections from zero up to asymptotically high transverse momentum. We contrast our calculation with the …
The RK measurement by LHCb suggests non-standard lepton-universality violation (LUV) to occur in b to s l+ l- decays, with effects in muons rather than electrons. It is intriguing that a number of other measurements of b to s l+ l- transitions by LHCb and B-factories are consistent in magnitude and sign with the RK effect, and fit a coherent effective-theory picture. Further indications of non-standard LUV are provided by the long-standing discrepancies in b to c tau nu transitions via the ratios R(D) and R(D^*). We review in detail the experimental situation and its rich outlook, the theoreti…
I discuss the effect of resummation of soft gluons in hadronic production of high mass systems, and in particular in heavy flavour production. I show that in widely used $x$-space resummation formulae, spurious terms that grow factorially in the order of the perturbative expansion are present. These terms spoil the convergence of the perturbative expansion. I also show that it is possible to perform the soft gluon resummation in such a way that these terms are not present. Implications for top and high mass dijet production at the Tevatron are discussed.
In light of the recent LHCb observation of CP violation in the charm sector, we review standard model (SM) predictions in the charm sector and in particular for $ΔA_{CP}$. We get as an upper bound in the SM $| ΔA_{CP} ^{\rm SM}| \leq 3.6 \times 10^{-4}$, which can be compared to the measurement of $ΔA_{CP} ^{\rm LHCb2019} = (-15.4 \pm 2.9) \times 10^{-4}$. We discuss resolving this tension within an extension of the SM that includes a flavour violating $Z'$ that couples only to $\bar{s}s$ and $\bar{c}u$. We show that for masses below 80 GeV and flavour violating coupling of the order of $10^{-…
Radiative corrections to $B \to D \ell ν_{\ell}$ decays can have an impact on predictions and measurements of the lepton universality ratios $\mathcal{R}(D^+)$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^0)$. These proceedings summarise a study on the comparison between recent calculations of soft-photon corrections on these ratios and the corrections simulated by the PHOTOS package. Also the impact of Coulomb interactions, not simulated in PHOTOS, is discussed. Using pseudo-experiments, the effect of high-energy photon emission is studied in an LHCb-like environment, showing a bias of up to 7\% on measurements of $\m…
The LHCb collaboration has recently presented their result on R_K = BR(B+ -> K+ mu+ mu-)/ BR(B+ -> K+ e+ e-) for the dilepton invariant mass bin m_{ll}^2 = 1-6 GeV^2 (l = mu, e). The measurement shows an intriguing 2.6 sigma deviation from the Standard Model (SM) prediction. In view of this, we study model independent New Physics (NP) explanations of R_K consistent with other measurements involving b -> s l l transition, relaxing the assumption of lepton universality. We perform a Bayesian statistical fit to the NP Wilson Coefficients and compare the Bayes Factors of the different hypotheses i…
We perform model-independent statistical analyses of three scenarios accommodating New Physics (NP) in Delta F=2 flavour-changing neutral current amplitudes. In a scenario in which NP in B_d-B_d-bar and B_s-B_s-bar is uncorrelated, we find the parameter point representing the Standard-Model disfavoured by 2.4 standard deviations. However, recent LHCb data on B_s neutral-meson mixing forbid a good accommodation of the D0 data on the semileptonic CP asymmetry A_SL. We introduce a fourth scenario with NP in both M_12^d,s and Gamma_12^d,s, which can accommodate all data. We discuss the viability o…
LHCb found hints for physics beyond the standard model in $B\to K^*μ^+μ^-$, $B\to K^*μ^+μ^-/B\to K^*e^+e^-$ and $B_s\toϕμ^+μ^-$. In addition, the BABAR results for $B\to D^{(*)}τν$ and the CMS excess in $h\toτ^\pmμ^\mp$ also point towards lepton flavour (universality) violating new physics. While $B\to D^{(*)}τν$ and $h\toτ^\pmμ^\mp$ can be naturally explained by an extended Higgs sector, the probably most promising explanation for the $b\to sμμ$ anomalies is a $Z'$ boson. Furthermore, combining a 2HDM with a gauged $L_μ-L_τ$ symmetry allows for explaining the $b\to sμ^+μ^-$ anomalies and $h\t…
The LHCb Collaboration recently gave an update on testing lepton flavour universality with $B^+ \rightarrow K^+ \ell^+ \ell^-$, in which a 3.1 standard deviations from the standard model prediction was observed. The g-2 experiment also reports a 3.3 standard deviations from the standard model on muon anomalous magnetic moment measurement. These deviations could be explained by introducing new particles including leptoquarks. In this paper, we show the possibility to search for heavy spin-1 leptoquarks at a future TeV scale muon collider by performing studies from three channels: 1) same flavou…
We investigate the production of a quark-antiquark pair in diffractive photon- proton scattering, approximating soft pomeron exchange by the exchange of two nonperturbative gluons. In deep inelastic scattering at HERA, events with two jets and the scattered proton in the final state are predicted to be observa- ble, with an important contribution from charm production. For photoproduction of light quark jets with high transverse momentum we find that both exchanged gluons must have a large invariant mass, so that the cross section is very small, whereas for charm quarks it is quite appreciable…
The production of the $W$ and $Z$ bosons in single diffractive processes at the LHC is investigated taking into account the ATLAS, CMS and LHCb acceptances and considering different assumptions for the flavour content of the Pomeron. The total cross sections and pseudorapidity distributions are estimated for $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. Our results indicate that a future experimental analysis of the ratio between the $W$ and $Z$ cross sections can be used to probe the flavour content of the Pomeron.
This work studies collinearly factorizable nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) at next-to-leading order in the light of hadron-nucleus collision data which have not been included in nPDF analyses previously. The aim is at setting new constraints on the nuclear modifications of the gluon distribution and on the flavour separation of quark nuclear modifications. The introductory part provides an outline of the theoretical framework of QCD collinear factorization and the used statistical methods and relates the work presented here to other si…
Rare semileptonic $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ transitions provide some of the most promising frameworks to search for new physics effects. Recent analyses of these decays have indicated an anomalous behaviour in measurements of angular distributions of the decay $B^0\to K^*μ^+μ^-$ and lepton-flavour-universality observables. Unambiguously establishing if these deviations have a common nature is of paramount importance in order to understand the observed pattern. We propose a novel approach to independently and complementary probe this hypothesis by performing a simultaneous amplitude analysis of $…
We study inclusive b-hadron production in pp collisions at the LHC at different center-of-mass energies and compare with experimental data from the LHCb and CMS collaborations. Our predictions for cross sections differential in the transverse momentum and (pseudo-)rapidity agree with data within uncertainties due to renormalization scale variations. A small tension is found if data and theory predictions are compared for cross section ratios at different center-of-mass energies.
This letter gathers a selection of Standard Model predictions issued from the metrology of the CKM parameters performed by the CKMfitter group. The selection includes purely leptonic decays of neutral and charged B, D and K mesons. In the light of the expected measurements from the LHCb experiment, a special attention is given to the radiative decay modes of B mesons as well as to the B-meson mixing observables, in particular the semileptonic charge asymmetries a^d,s_SL which have been recently investigated by the D0 experiment at Tevatron. Constraints arising from rare kaon decays are address…
The discovery of $B_d - \bar B_d$ oscillations twenty years ago by the ARGUS collaboration marked a watershed event. It persuaded a significant part of the HEP community that the large time dependent \cp asymmetries predicted for some $B_d$ decays might be within the reach of specially designed experiments. This opened the successful era of the $B$ factories, which has a great future still ahead. After sketching the status of heavy flavour physics I describe why we need to continue a comprehensive heavy flavour program not only for its intrinsic reasons -- it is even mandated as an integral pa…
We present an analysis of new physics searches in $Z\,h$ with missing energy final states at the Large Hadron Collider considering $Z \to l^+ l^-$ (where $l^\pm = e^\pm, μ^\pm$) and $h \to b\bar b$ decay modes. For this analysis we consider production of a $CP$-odd scalar $A$ through gluon-fusion which decay into a heavy $CP$-even neutral scalar $H$ with $Z$-boson. Further $H$ decays into a lighter $CP$-even Higgs boson $h$ in association with dark matter candidate $χ$ - a source of missing energy. The masses of these scalars are considered as $m_h = 125$ GeV, $m_χ= 60$ GeV, $2 m_h < m_H < 2 m…
Rare flavour changing neutral current (FCNC) decays of top, beauty and charm quarks can provide a powerful probe for as yet unobserved particles. Recent results on FCNC $b \to s$, $c \to u$ and $t$ transitions from the LHC experiments are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the angular distribution of the $B^{0} \to K^{*0} μ^{+} μ^{-}$ decay, where a measurement performed by LHCb shows a local discrepancy of 3.7 standard deviations with respect to the SM prediction. Using the decay $B^{+} \to K^{+}π^{-}π^{+}γ$, LHCb have also been able to demonstrate the polarisation of photons produced …
The LHCb measurement of the $μ/e$ ratio $R_{K^*}$ indicates a deficit with respect to the Standard Model prediction, supporting earlier hints of lepton universality violation observed in the $R_K$ ratio. We show that the $R_K$ and $R_{K^*}$ ratios alone constrain the chiralities of the states contributing to these anomalies, and we find deviations from the Standard Model at the $4σ$ level. This conclusion is further corroborated by hints in the theoretically challenging $b\to sμ^+μ^-$ distributions. Theoretical interpretations in terms of $Z'$, lepto-quarks, loop mediators, and composite dynam…
The hadroproduction of heavy-flavoured mesons has recently attracted a growing interest e.g. within the people involved in global analysis of proton and nuclear parton distribution functions, saturation physics, and physics of cosmic rays. In particular, the D- and B-meson measurements of LHCb at forward direction are sensitive to gluon dynamics at small $x$ and are one of the few perturbative small-$x$ probes before the next generation deep-inelastic-scattering experiments. In this talk, we will concentrate on the collinear-factorization approach to inclusive D-meson production and describe a…
We study inclusive charm and bottom production, for both D and B mesons, in p-Pb collisions at the LHC. Numerical results for p_T-differential production cross sections are obtained at next-to-leading-order in the general-mass variable-flavor-number scheme. We compare our results with recent data from ALICE, LHCb and CMS at a center-of-mass energy of 5 TeV and find good agreement. A comparison with p-p cross sections does not reveal the presence of nuclear initial-state interaction effects that could be expected to become visible as deviations of the ratio of p-Pb and p-p cross sections from o…
Motivated by recent indications that the rates of colour-allowed non-leptonic channels are not in agreement with their Standard Model expectations based on QCD factorisation, we investigate the potential to study CP asymmetries with these decays. In the Standard Model, these flavour-specific decays are sensitive to CP violation in $B^0_{(s)}$--$\bar{B}^0_{(s)}$ mixing, which is predicted with low uncertainties and can be measured precisely with semileptonic decays. If there are beyond Standard Model contributions to the non-leptonic decay amplitudes, there could be significant enhancements to …
