Photon + b

We have measured photon + b jet production using approximately 340 pb-1 of photon triggered data at CDF. Results are presented for the inclusive cross-section (ie. for all photons having a transverse energy Et > 26 GeV), and for the differential cross-section in bins of photon Et between 26 and 70 GeV.

Motivation

Events containing an isolated, high transverse energy photon and an identified b jet are interesting to study from the point of view of both QCD and searches for new physics. A measurement of the production cross-section of these events tests some mechanisms of b jet production at the Tevatron. An excess in any photon + b channel could signal the presence of new physics, for example through light stop or techniomega production.

Analysis in brief

We obtain a sample of photon + b jet events in data by selecting isolated photons inside |eta|<1.1 with Et>26 GeV, together with a jet containing a positively signed displaced secondary vertex and which has at least 20 GeV Et, and which lies within |eta|<1.5. The jet and photon must be separated by a cone of at least 0.7. We fit the secondary vertex mass in data to determine the b fraction. In order to determine the background from fake photon + b we use preshower detector information to estimate the number of fake photons in our sample, and multiply this by the b fraction we estimate from a representative background data sample. We obtain the number of real photon + b events by subtracting the background contribution from our original fit. By dividing this number by the selection, tagging and trigger efficiencies, and the integrated luminosity of the dataset, we obtain the cross-section.

Public results

Figures
Tables (jpg only) Further details are given in CDF note 8377.