Abstract

We report measurements of the branching fractions of singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays $\Lambda_c^+ \to p \eta$ and $\Lambda_c^+ \to p \pi^0$ using the full Belle data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 980.6 $\rm fb^{-1}$. The data were collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^{+}$$e^{-}$ asymmetric-energy collider. A clear $\Lambda_c^+$ signal is seen in the invariant mass distribution of $p \eta$. The signal yield of the $\Lambda_c^+ \to p \eta$ process is $7734 \pm 263$; from this, we measure the ratio of branching fractions ${\cal B}(\Lambda_c^+ \to p \eta)/{\cal B}(\Lambda_c^+ \to p K^- \pi^+) = (2.258 \pm 0. 077(\rm stat. ) \pm 0.136(\rm syst. ))\times 10^{-2}$, from which we infer the branching fraction ${\cal B}(\Lambda_c^+ \to p \eta) = (1.42 \pm 0.05(\rm stat.) \pm 0.11(\rm syst.)) \times 10^{-3}$. In addition, no significant signal for $\Lambda_c^+ \to p \pi^0$ is found so an upper limit on the branching fraction of ${\cal B}(\Lambda_c^+ \to p \pi^0)<8.0 \times 10^{-5}$ at 90\% credibility level is set, more than three times better than the best current upper limit.

Highlights

  • Weak decays of charmed baryons are useful for testing many contradictory theoretical models and methods—e.g., the flavor symmetry approach and heavy quark effective theory [1–4]

  • We report measurements of the branching fractions of singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays Λþc → pη and Λþc → pπ0 using the full Belle data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 980.6 fb−1

  • A clear Λþc signal is seen in the invariant mass distribution of pη

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Weak decays of charmed baryons are useful for testing many contradictory theoretical models and methods—e.g., the flavor symmetry approach and heavy quark effective theory [1–4]. In contrast with the decays of charmed mesons, the decays of some charmed baryons are helicity suppressed, making the W-boson exchange favored [5]. There have been many improved measurements of the properties of charmed baryons, precision measurements of the decay branching fractions still remain poor for many Cabibbo-favored (CF) decay modes and even worse for some decay modes dominated by Cabibbo suppression and W-boson exchange [9]. In contrast with the strong decays of heavy-flavor mesons, the W-boson exchange mechanism plays an important role in the decay of charmed baryons. Measuring the branching fractions of these two SCS decays will help elucidate the decay mechanism of charmed baryons. To improve the measurement precision, we measure the ratio of the branching fractions of the two SCS processes with respect to the CF Λþc → pK−πþ decay mode: BðSCSÞ BðCFÞ. The values of Bðπ0 → γγÞ and Bðη → γγÞ are 0.9882 Æ 0.0003 and 0.3941 Æ 0.0020, respectively [9]

THE DATA SAMPLE AND THE BELLE DETECTOR
EVENT SELECTION CRITERIA
EFFICIENCY ESTIMATION AND FIT RESULTS
SYSTEMATIC UNCERTAINTIES
Findings
CONCLUSION
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