Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UC Irvine

UC Irvine Previously Published Works bannerUC Irvine

Measurement of D0-D¯0 mixing using the ratio of lifetimes for the decays D0→K-π+ and K+K-

Abstract

We measure the rate of D0-D̄0 mixing with the observable yCP=(τKπ/τKK)-1, where τKK and τKπ are, respectively, the mean lifetimes of CP-even D0→K+K- and CP-mixed D0→K-π+ decays, using a data sample of 384fb-1 collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory. From a sample of D0 and D̄0 decays where the initial flavor of the decaying meson is not determined, we obtain yCP=[1.12±0.26(stat)±0.22(syst)]%, which excludes the no-mixing hypothesis at 3.3σ, including both statistical and systematic uncertainties. This result is in good agreement with a previous BABAR measurement of yCP obtained from a sample of D*+→D0π+ events, where the D0 decays to K-π+, K+K-, and π+π-, which is disjoint with the untagged D0 events used here. Combining the two results taking into account statistical and systematic uncertainties, where the systematic uncertainties are assumed to be 100% correlated, we find yCP=[1.16±0.22(stat)±0. 18(syst)]%, which excludes the no-mixing hypothesis at 4.1σ. © 2009 The American Physical Society.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View