Results and prospects for Charm Physics at LHCb

Abstract

Precision measurements in charm physics offer a window into a unique sector of potential New Physics interactions. LHCb is well equipped to take advantage of the enormous production cross-section of charm mesons in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. The measurement of the $D^0 -\bar{D}^0$ mixing parameters and the search for CP-violation in the charm sector are key physics goals of the LHCb programme. The first CP violation measurements in the charm sector, with 37 pb$^{-1}$ of data collected in 2010, are discussed. The study of $D^+ \rightarrow K^- K^+ \pi^+$ decays shows no indication of CP violation. The measurement of the proper time asymmetry in the time dependent analysis of $D^0\rightarrow K^-K^+$ and $\bar{D}^0\rightarrow K^-K^+$ is evaluated to be $A_{\Gamma}=(-5.9 \pm 5.9_{stat} \pm 2.1_{syst})$. The difference of CP asymmetry in the time integrated rates of $D^0\rightarrow K^-K^+$ and $D^0\rightarrow \pi^- \pi^+$ decays is measured to be $(-0.28 \pm 0.70_{stat} \pm 0.25_{syst})%$.