Matthew Wingate

Neutral B meson mixing in unquenched lattice QCD

We study B{sub d} and B{sub s} mixing in unquenched lattice QCD employing the MILC Collaboration gauge configurations that include u, d, and s sea quarks based on the improved staggered quark (AsqTad) action and a highly improved gluon action. We implement the valence light quarks also with the AsqTad action and use the nonrelativistic NRQCD action for the valence b quark. We calculate hadronic matrix elements necessary for extracting Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements from experimental measurements of mass differences {delta}M{sub d} and {delta}M{sub s}. We find {xi}{identical_to}f{sub B{sub s}}{radical}(B-circumflex{sub B{sub s}})/f{sub B{sub d}}{radical}(B-circumflex{sub B{sub d}})=1.258(33), f{sub B{sub d}}{radical}(B-circumflex{sub B{sub d}})=216(15) MeV, and f{sub B{sub s}}{radical}(B-circumflex{sub B{sub s}})=266(18) MeV. We also update previous results for decay constants and obtain f{sub B{sub d}}=190(13) MeV, f{sub B{sub s}}=231(15) MeV, and f{sub B{sub s}}/f{sub B{sub d}}=1.226(26). The new lattice results lead to updated values for the ratio of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements |V{sub td}|/|V{sub ts}| and for the standard model prediction for Br(B{sub s}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) with reduced errors. We determine |V{sub td}|/|V{sub ts}|=0.214(1)(5) and Br(B{sub s}{yields}{mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -})=3.19(19)x10{sup -9}.

B-meson decay constant from unquenched lattice QCD.

We present determinations of the -meson decay constant f(B) and f(B)(s)/f(B) using the MILC Collaboration unquenched gauge configurations, which include three flavors of light sea quarks. The mass of one of the sea quarks is kept around the strange quark mass, and we explore a range in masses for the two lighter sea quarks down to m(s)/8. The heavy quark is simulated using nonrelativistic QCD, and both the valence and sea light quarks are represented by the highly improved (AsqTad) staggered quark action. The good chiral properties of the latter action allow for a more accurate chiral extrapolation to physical up and down quarks than has been possible in the past. We find f(B)=216(9)(19)(4)(6) MeV and f(B)(s)/f(B)=1.20(3)(1).

General coordinate invariance and conformal invariance in nonrelativistic physics: Unitary Fermi gas

We show that the Lagrangian for interacting nonrelativistic particles can be coupled to an external gauge field and metric tensor in a way that exhibits a nonrelativistic version of general coordinate invariance. We explore the consequences of this invariance on the example of the degenerate Fermi gas at infinite scattering length, where conformal invariance also plays an important role. We find the most general effective Lagrangian consistent with both general coordinate and conformal invariance to leading and next-to-leading orders in the momentum expansion. At the leading order the Lagrangian contains one phenomenological constant and reproduces the results of the Thomas-Fermi theory and superfluid hydrodynamics. At the next-to-leading order there are two additional constants. We express various physical quantities through these constants.

Lattice QCD calculation of form factors describing the rare decays B →k*+- and Bs →φ+-

The rare decays

The Upsilon spectrum and m_b from full lattice QCD

B^0 \to K^{*0} \mu^+ \mu^-

First determination of the strange and light quark masses from full lattice QCD

and

Lattice QCD calculation of form factors describing the rare decays

B_s \to \phi \mu^+ \mu^-

B \to K^* \ell^+ \ell^-

are now being observed with enough precision to test Standard Model predictions. A full understanding of these decays requires accurate determinations of the corresponding hadronic form factors. Here we present results of lattice QCD calculations of the

and

B \to K^*

B_s \to \phi \ell^+ \ell^-

and