Observation of the $\Xi_c^0 \to pK^-$ decay and measurement of its decay asymmetry
Abstract
A search for the Cabibbo-suppressed decay $\Xi_c^0 \to pK^-$ is performed using $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $5.4\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$, collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of $13\,\mathrm{TeV}$. The decay is observed for the first time and its branching fraction measured to be $(4.5\pm0.5\pm0.2\pm0.9)\times10^{-5}$, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and from the branching fraction of the normalisation channel $\Xi_b^- \to \Xi_c^0 (\to p K^- K^- \pi^+) \pi^-$. Using the decay chain $\Xi_b^- \to \Xi_c^0(\to pK^-)\pi^-$, the decay asymmetry parameter of the $\Xi_c^0 \to pK^-$ decay is determined to be $\alpha_{\Xi_c^0}=0.32\pm0.15\pm0.01$.