B mixing

Abstract

The neutral B mesons, B0 and B0s, can oscillate between their particle and antiparticle states owing to flavor-changing weak interactions. In recent years, techniques to detect these oscillations as a function of the meson's decay time have been developed. This article reviews the physics of flavor oscillations and summarizes theoretical predictions. The many observations that demonstrate the time dependence of B0 - B0 oscillations are presented along with a combined measurement of its frequency, Δmd = 0.484 ± 0.015ps-1. The attempts to measure the B0s oscillation frequency, both directly and indirectly, are then summarized, currently resulting in a limit of Δms > 14.6 ps-1 (95% CL). Finally, values for the CKM elements |Vtd| = (3.6 ± 0.4) × 10-3 and |Vts/Vtd\ > 4.7 (95% CL) are extracted.