Search for the decays $B_s^0\toτ^+τ^-$ and $B^0\toτ^+τ^-$

Abstract

A search for the rare decays $B_s^0\toτ^+τ^-$ and $B^0\toτ^+τ^-$ is performed using proton--proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3fb$^{-1}$ collected in 2011 and 2012. The $τ$ leptons are reconstructed through the decay $τ^-\toπ^-π^+π^-ν_τ$. Assuming no contribution from $B^0\toτ^+τ^-$ decays, an upper limit is set on the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0\toτ^+τ^-) < 6.8\times 10^{-3}$ at 95% confidence level. If instead no contribution from $B_s^0\toτ^+τ^-$ decays is assumed, the limit is $\mathcal{B}(B^0\toτ^+τ^-)< 2.1 \times 10^{-3}$ at 95% confidence level. These results correspond to the first direct limit on $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0\toτ^+τ^-)$ and the world's best limit on $\mathcal{B}(B^0\toτ^+τ^-)$.

21 pages, 10 figures. All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2017-003.html