Rare B-meson decays detected at LHC

Los Angeles Times : Although the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN had until recently been shut down for repairs and upgrades, researchers sifting through data taken in 2011–12 have now reported evidence of certain B-meson decays, events that are exceedingly rare and can only be determined indirectly by studying the particular shower of particles into which they decay. Their detection is sought as a way of testing the standard model of particle physics, which has made fairly precise predictions concerning B-meson behavior. In a their paper published in Nature, researchers in the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) and LHCb (Large Hadron Collider beauty) collaborations say that the decay rate of the strange B meson matches that predicted by the standard model. However, the decay rate of the nonstrange B meson exceeded the standard-model prediction by almost fourfold, “albeit with a lower statistical significance than obtained for the strange B meson,” writes Daria Zieminska of Indiana University in a commentary on the research. Now that the LHC has been restarted, it is expected to be able to double the production rates of B mesons, which should lead to further fine-tuning of the standard model or even provide evidence for theories beyond the standard model, such as supersymmetry.