New physics searches using semileptonic b-hadron decays

"Recent experimental results have hinted at the breakdown of Lepton Universality: the principle according to which the weak force coupling strength is the same to the electron as to its heavier partners, the muon and tau. New measurements of decays of beauty hadrons to lighter hadrons, a charged lepton, and a neutrino (also known as semileptonic decays) are essential to establish the effect and investigate the nature of potential New Physics processes.
This project will include measuring differences in ratios of branching fractions and in angular observables for different lepton flavours in data collected by LHCb, providing new, stringent constraints to the experimental picture. To understand the data sample composition, decays of b-hadrons to excited charm states not yet observed or very poorly measured will be explored.
The work will benefit from effective synergy with the particle physics theory group in Glasgow: theory models will be explored, informing the on-going new physics search as well as measurements to be performed with collected and future datasets.
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