Constraining new physics in B_s meson mixing

Abstract

Neutral mesons exhibit a phenomenon called flavour mixing. As a consequence of a second order weak process the flavour eigenstates corresponding to the meson and its anti-meson are superpositions of two mass eigenstates. A meson produced in a flavour state changes into an anti-meson and back again as a function of time. Such flavour oscillations are considered sensitive probes of physics beyond the Standard Model. In this brief review I summarize the status of experimental constraints on mixing parameters in the B_s meson system.