B Mixing

Abstract

The neutral $B$ mesons, $B^0$ and $B_s$, can oscillate between their particle and antiparticle states owing to flavor-changing weak interactions. In recent years, techniques to detect these oscillations as a function of the meson's decay time have been developed. In this article the physics of flavor oscillations is reviewed and theoretical predictions are summarized. The many observations that demonstrate the time-dependence of $B^0-\B0bar$ oscillations are presented along with a combined measurement of its frequency, $δm_d$. The attempts to measure the $B_s$ oscillation frequency, both directly and indirectly, are then summarized. Finally, values for the CKM elements $|V_{td}|$ and $|V_{ts}/V_{td}|$ are extracted.