Measurement of the branching fraction ratio R K at large dilepton invariant mass

Journal article

A test of lepton universality between muons and electrons is performed using B+ → K+ℓ+ℓ− decays (where ℓ = e, μ), in the dilepton invariant-mass-squared region above 14.3 GeV2/c4. The data used for the measurement consists of beauty meson decays produced in proton-proton collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment between 2011 and 2018. The ratio of branching fractions for B+→ K+μ+μ− and B+→ K+e+e− decays is measured to be RK=1.08−0.09+0.11stat−0.04+0.04syst, which is consistent with the Standard Model prediction of unity. This constitutes the most precise test of lepton flavour universality using B+ → K+ℓ+ℓ− decays with dilepton invariant-mass-squared above the ψ(2S) mass, whilst being the first of its kind at a hadron collider.

Authors: Aaij, R; Abdelmotteleb, ASW; Abellan Beteta, C; Abudinén, F; Ackernley, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer
• Journal: Journal of High Energy Physics
• Volume: 2025
• Issue: 7
• Article number: 198
• Publication date: 2025-07-17
• Acceptance date: 2025-06-20
• DOI: 10.1007/jhep07(2025)198
• EISSN: 1029-8479
• ISSN: 1126-6708
• Language: English
• Keywords: B Physics; Hadron-Hadron Scattering; Flavour Changing Neutral Currents; Flavour Physics