A study of exclusive nonleptonic decays of B mesons into final states of strange mesons and 1S or 2S charmonia

Bound states of heavy quarks can serve as a laboratory for inquiry into the behaviour of the fundamental strong and electroweak interactions. This thesis examines observations of <math> <f> B<sup>0</sup>,<hsp sp="0.212"><ovl>B<sup>0</sup></ovl>,</f> </math> and 'B'± mesons produced in proton-antiproton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of <math> <f> <rad><rcd>s</rcd></rad></f> </math> = 1.8 TeV. The B-meson decay products are recorded using the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) located on the Tevatron collider at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, USA. Four 'B'-meson decays and their charge conjugates are studied: <math> <f> B<sup>+</sup>[right arrow]J/<g>y</g>K<sup>+</sup>,<hsp sp="0.212">B<sup> 0</sup>[right arrow]J/<g>y</g>K<sup>*</sup><fen lp="par">892<rp post="par"></fen><sup> 0</sup>,<hsp sp="0.212">B<sup>+</sup>[right arrow]<g>y</g><fen lp="par"> 2S<rp post="par"></fen>K<sup>+</sup>,</f> </math> and <math> <f> B<sup>0</sup>[right arrow]<g>y</g><fen lp="par">2S<rp post="par"></fen> K<sup>*</sup><fen lp="par">892<rp post="par"></fen><sup>0</sup> .</f> </math> Using a data sample corresponding to &int; <math> <f> <sc>L<hsp sp="0.212"></sc><mit>dt<rm><hsp sp="0.212">=<fen lp="par"> 109±7<rp post="par"></fen>pb<sup>-1</sup></rm></mit></f> </math>, statistically significant signals are observed in all the channels. Topological similarities between the 'B' decays are exploited to measure the six relative branching fractions (<math> <f> <sc>B</sc></f> </math>) of each channel with respect to the other channels. The ratios involving the <math> <f> B<sup>+</sup>[right arrow]J/<g>y</g>K<sup>+</sup></f> </math> mode are <display-math> <fd> <fl><fr><nu><sc>B<mit>&parl0;B<sup><rm>0</rm></sup>[right arrow]J/<g>y</g> K<sup>*</sup>&parl0;<rm>892</rm>&parr0;<sup><rm>0</rm></sup></mit> &parr0;</sc></nu><de><sc>B<mit>&parl0;B<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>[right arrow] J/<g>y</g>K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>&parr0;</mit></sc></de></fr><vmk id="vm1">= 1.76±0.14<fen lp="sqb"><rm>stat</rm><rp post="sqb"></fen> ±0.15<fen lp="sqb"><rm>syst</rm><rp post="sqb"></fen></fl> <fl><fr><nu><sc>B<mit><fen lp="par">B<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>[right arrow] <g>y</g>&parl0;<rm>2<mit>S</mit></rm><rp post="par"></fen>K<sup> <rm>+</rm></sup>&parr0;</mit></sc></nu><de><sc>B&parl0;<mit>B<sup> <rm>+</rm></sup></mit>[right arrow]<mit>J/<g>y</g>K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup> &parr0;</mit></sc></de></fr><vmkr rid="vm1">=0.558±0.0 82<fen lp="sqb"><rm>stat</rm><rp post="sqb"></fen>±0.0 56<fen lp="sqb"><rm>syst</rm><rp post="sqb"></fen></fl> <fl><fr><nu><sc>B<it><fen lp="par"><mit>B<sup><rm>0</rm></sup> [right arrow]<g>y</g>&parl0;<rm>2<mit>S&parr0;</mit></rm></mit>K<sup> <rm>*</rm></sup>&parl0;<rm>892&parr0;<sup>0</sup></rm><rp post="par"></fen> </it></sc></nu><de><sc>B&parl0;<mit>B<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>[right arrow] J/<g>y</g>K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>&parr0;</mit></sc></de></fr><vmkr rid="vm1">= <rm>0.908±0.194<fen lp="sqb"><rm>stat</rm><rp post="sqb"></fen> ±0.100<fen lp="sqb">syst<rp post="sqb"></fen>.</rm></fl> </fd> </display-math> The indicated uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. In ratios involving unlike 'B'-meson species, equal production rates for 'B'+ and ' B'0 mesons have been assumed. Absolute branching fractions are extracted by normalizing the above ratio measurements to the world-average value, <math> <f> <sc>B<mit>&parl0;B<sup><rm>+</rm></sup></mit>[right arrow]<mit>J/<g>y</g> K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup></mit>&parr0;=<fen lp="par"><rm>1.01± 0.14</rm><rp post="par"></fen>*<hsp sp="0.212"></sc><rm> 10<sup>-3</sup></rm>:</f> </math><display-math> <fd> <fl><vmk id="vm1"><sc>B&parl0;<mit>B<sup><rm>0</rm></sup>[right arrow] J/<g>y</g>K<sup>*</sup>&parl0;<rm>892&parr0;<sup>0</sup></rm> </mit>&parr0;=<fen lp="par"><rm>1.78±0.14<fen lp="sqb"> stat<rp post="sqb"></fen>±0.29<fen lp="sqb">syst<rp post="sqb"></fen> </rm><rp post="par"></fen>*<rm>10<sup>-3</sup></rm></sc> </fl> <fl><vmkr rid="vm1"><sc>B&parl0;<mit>B<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>[right arrow] <g>y</g><fen lp="par"><rm>2<mit>S</mit></rm><rp post="par"></fen> K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup>&parr0;<rm><hsp sp="0.212">=<fen lp="par"> 0.56±0.08<fen lp="sqb">stat<rp post="sqb"></fen>± 0.10<fen lp="sqb">syst<rp post="sqb"></fen><rp post="par"></fen> *10<sup>-3</sup></rm></mit></sc></fl> <fl><vmkr rid="vm1"><sc>B<fen lp="par"><mit>B<sup><rm>0</rm></sup> </mit><rm>[right arrow]<g>y</g><fen lp="par"><rm>2<mit>S</mit></rm><rp post="par"></fen> K<sup>*</sup><fen lp="par">892<rp post="par"></fen><sup>0</sup> </rm><rp post="par"></fen></sc>=<rm><fen lp="par">0.92± 0.20<fen lp="sqb">stat<rp post="sqb"></fen>±0.16<fen lp="sqb"> syst<rp post="sqb"></fen><rp post="par"></fen>*10<sup>- 3</sup>.</rm></fl> </fd> </display-math> The <math> <f> B<sup>+</sup>[right arrow]<g>y</g><fen lp="par">2S<rp post="par"></fen> <rm><hsp sp="0.212"><it><hsp sp="0.212">K<sup><rm>+</rm></sup> <hsp sp="0.167"><rm>and<hsp sp="0.212"><it>B<sup><rm>0</rm></sup> [right arrow]<g>y</g><fen lp="par"><rm>2<it>S</it></rm><rp post="par"></fen> K<sup><rm>*</rm></sup><fen lp="par"><rm>892</rm><rp post="par"></fen><sup> <rm>0</rm></sup></it></rm></it></rm></f> </math> reconstructions are the first observations of these processes at a hadron collider. The branching-fraction ratio measurements are consistent with phenomenological predictions that employ the factorization ' Ansatz', and the absolute branching-fraction measurements are consistent with previous world-average limits and values from <math> <f> e<sup>+</sup>e<sup>-</sup></f> </math> colliders. The measured branching fractions that involve <math> <f> <g>y</g><fen lp="par">2S<rp post="par"></fen></f> </math> final states constitute the world's most precise measurements of these quantities.