Study of B+c decays to charmonia and three light hadrons

Using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector, seven decay modes of the B-C(+) meson into a J/psi or psi(2S) meson and three charged hadrons, kaons or pions, are studied. The decays B-C (+)-> (psi(2S) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-))pi(+), B+C -> (psi(2S)pi(+)pi(-)pi(+), B+C -> J/psi K+pi(-)pi(+) and B+C -> J/K+K-K+ are observed for the first time, and evidence for the B-C (+)-> (psi(2S)K+K-pi(+), decay is found, where J/psi and psi(2S) mesons are reconstructed in their dimuon decay modes. The ratios of branching fractions between the different B-C(+) decays are reported as well as the fractions of the decays proceeding via intermediate resonances. The results largely support the factorisation approach used for a theoretical description of the studied decays.

Automated summary

This study uses proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector to investigate the decay of the B-C(+) meson into a J/ψ or ψ(2S) meson and three charged hadrons. Several decay modes, including some observed for the first time, are identified. The study also reports the branching fractions between different decay modes and the influence of intermediate resonances, which support the theoretical description.