CP violation and the CKM matrix

Abstract

Our knowledge of quark-flavor physics and CP violation has increased tremendously over the past five years. It is confirmed that the Standard Model correctly describes the dominant parts of the observed CP-violating and flavor-changing phenomena. Not only does CP violation provide some of the most precise constraints on the flavor sector, but several measurements performed at the B-factories achieved much better precision than expected. We review the present status of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix and CP violation, recollect the relevant experimental and theoretical inputs, display the results from the global CKM fit, and discuss their implications for the Standard Model and some of its extensions. Copyright © 2006 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.