https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-007-0273-z
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Search for a fourth generation b’-quark at LEP-II at
196–209 GeV
1
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, AI, 50011-3160, USA
2
IIHE, ULB-VUB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
3
Physics Laboratory, University of Athens, Solonos Str. 104, 10680, Athens, Greece
4
Department of Physics, University of Bergen, Allégaten 55, 5007, Bergen, Norway
5
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bologna and INFN, Via Irnerio 46, 40126, Bologna, Italy
6
Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, rua Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7
Inst. de Física, Univ. Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8
Lab. de Physique Corpusculaire, IN2P3-CNRS, Collège de France, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France
9
CERN, 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland
10
Institut de Recherches Subatomiques, IN2P3 - CNRS/ULP - BP20, 67037, Strasbourg Cedex, France
11
DESY-Zeuthen, Platanenallee 6, 15735, Zeuthen, Germany
12
Institute of Nuclear Physics, N.C.S.R. Demokritos, P.O. Box 60228, 15310, Athens, Greece
13
Inst. of Phys. of the C.A.S. High Energy Physics Division, FZU, Na Slovance 2, 18040, Praha 8, Czech Republic
14
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova and INFN, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
15
Institut des Sciences Nucléaires, IN2P3-CNRS, Université de Grenoble 1, 38026, Grenoble Cedex, France
16
Helsinki Institute of Physics and Department of Physical Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
17
Head Post Office, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, P.O. Box 79, 101000, Moscow, Russia
18
Institut für Experimentelle Kernphysik, Universität Karlsruhe, Postfach 6980, 76128, Karlsruhe, Germany
19
Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, Ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31142, Krakow, Poland
20
Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques, University of Mining and Metallurgy, 30055, Krakow, Poland
21
Lab. de l’Accélérateur Linéaire, IN2P3-CNRS, Université de Paris-Sud, , Bât. 200, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France
22
School of Physics and Chemistry, University of Lancaster, Lancaster, LA1 4YB, UK
23
LIP, FCUL, IST, CFCUC, Av. Elias Garcia 14-1o, 1000, Lisboa Codex, Portugal
24
Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK
25
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Kelvin Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
26
LPNHE, IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris VI et VII, Tour 33 (RdC), 4 place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France
27
Department of Physics, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 14, 22363, Lund, Sweden
28
IPNL, IN2P3-CNRS, Université Claude Bernard de Lyon, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
29
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Milano and INFN-MILANO, Via Celoria 16, 20133, Milan, Italy
30
Dipartimento di Fisica, Univ. di Milano-Bicocca and INFN-MILANO, Piazza della Scienza 3, 20126, Milan, Italy
31
IPNP of MFF, Charles Univ., Areal MFF, V Holesovickach 2, 18000, Praha 8, Czech Republic
32
NIKHEF, Postbus 41882, 1009 DB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
33
Physics Department, National Technical University, Zografou Campus, 15773, Athens, Greece
34
Physics Department, University of Oslo, Oslo, 0316, Norway
35
Dpto. Fisica, Univ. Oviedo, Avda. Calvo Sotelo s/n, 33007, Oviedo, Spain
36
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH, UK
37
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Padova and INFN, Via Marzolo 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
38
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 OQX, UK
39
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma II and INFN, Tor Vergata, 00173, Rome, Italy
40
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma III and INFN, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146, Rome, Italy
41
DAPNIA/Service de Physique des Particules, CEA-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
42
Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), Avda. los Castros s/n, 39006, Santander, Spain
43
Inst. for High Energy Physics, Serpukov, P.O. Box 35, Protvino, Moscow Region, Russia
44
J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
45
Laboratory for Astroparticle Physics, University of Nova Gorica, Kostanjeviska 16a, 5000, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
46
Department of Physics, University of Ljubljana, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
47
Fysikum, Stockholm University, Box 6730, 11385, Stockholm, Sweden
48
Dipartimento di Fisica Sperimentale, Università di Torino and INFN, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
49
INFN, Sezione di Torino and Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica, Università di Torino, Via Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
50
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste and INFN, Via A. Valerio 2, 34127, Trieste, Italy
51
Istituto di Fisica, Università di Udine and INFN, 33100, Udine, Italy
52
C.P. 68528 Cidade Univ., Ilha do Fundão, Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
53
Department of Radiation Sciences, University of Uppsala, P.O. Box 535, 75121, Uppsala, Sweden
54
IFIC, Valencia-CSIC, and D.F.A.M.N., U. de Valencia, Avda. Dr. Moliner 50, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain
55
Institut für Hochenergiephysik, Österr. Akad. d. Wissensch., Nikolsdorfergasse 18, 1050, Vienna, Austria
56
Inst. Nuclear Studies and University of Warsaw, Ul. Hoza 69, 00681, Warsaw, Poland
57
University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
58
Fachbereich Physik, University of Wuppertal, Postfach 100127, 42097, Wuppertal, Germany
* e-mail: Jan.Timmermans@cern.ch
Received:
26
July
2006
Revised:
28
January
2007
Published online:
29
March
2007
A search for the pair production of fourth generation b’-quarks was performed using data taken by the DELPHI detector at LEP-II. The analysed data were collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 196 to 209 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 420 pb-1. No evidence for a signal was found. Upper limits on BR(b’→bZ) and BR(b’→cW) were obtained for b’ masses ranging from 96 to 103 GeV/c
2. These limits, together with the theoretical branching ratios predicted by a sequential four generations model, were used to constrain the value of , where Vcb′, Vtb′ and Vtb are elements of the extended CKM matrix.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2007