We present our innovative design to hosting Canada’s share of the Belle II raw data and the necessary computing infrastructure for its processing. Our approach involves disk-only grid storage solution that utilizes XRootD and ZFS, complemented by a compute framework that deploys specialized virtual machines to process the raw data. We discuss the advantages of our approach as well as the challenges encountered during deployment and commissioning.

Data preservation significantly increases the scientific output of high-energy physics experiments during and after data acquisition. For new and ongoing experiments, the careful consideration of long-term data preservation in the experimental design contributes to improving computational efficiency and strengthening the scientific activity in HEP through Open Science methodologies. This contribution is based on 15 years of experience of the DPHEP collaboration in the field of data preservation and focuses on aspects relevant for the strategic programming of particle physics in Europe: the preparation of future programs using data sets preserved from previous similar experiments (e.g. HERA for EIC), and the use of LHC data long after the end of the data taking. The lessons learned from past collider experiments and recent developments open the way to a number of recommendations for the full exploitation of the investments made in large HEP experiments.

The economies of scale realised by institutional and commercial cloud providers make such resources increasingly attractive for grid computing. We describe an implementation of this approach which has been deployed for Australia’s ATLAS and Belle II grid sites. The sites are built entirely with virtual machines (VM) orchestrated by an Open- Stack instance. The storage element (SE) utilises an XRootD-S3 gateway with back-end storage provided through an S3-compatible object store from a commercial provider. The provisioning arrangements required the deployment of some site-specific helper modules to ensure all SE interfacing requirements could be met. OpenStack hosts the XRootD redirector and proxy servers in separate VMs. The compute element (CE) comprises virtual machines (VM) within the Open-Stack instance. Jobs are submitted and managed by HTCondor. A CloudScheduler instance is used to coordinate the number of active OpenStack VMs and ensure that VMs run only when there are jobs to run. Automated configuration of the individual VMs associated with the grid sites is managed using Ansible. This approach was chosen due to its low overheads and the simplicity of deployment. Performance metrics of the resulting grid sites are presented to illustrate the viability of this cost-effective approach to resource provisioning for grid computing.

BABAR stopped data collection in 2008, but its data is still analyzed by the collaboration. In 2021, a new computing system outside the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory was developed, the new BABAR Long Term Data Analysis system (LTDA). Major changes were needed to maintain the collaboration’s ability to analyze the data, while the user-facing front ends needed to remain unchanged. This LTDA system was put into production in 2022, and we will describe its unique infrastructure, which is based on cloud computing resources in Victoria, Canada; data storage at GridKa, Germany, with streaming data access via XRootD; and the ability to analyze data from any location. We will describe the advantages of the system, explain how to run an old and outdated OS in current infrastructures, discuss complications encountered during system development, and share our experience running and using it for more than two years. The design and implementation can help other groups and experiments planing data preservation with the goal of maintaining the ability to analyze their data, even decades after data collection has ceased.

The BABAR experiment collected electron-positron collisions at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) from 1999-2008. Although data taking has stopped 15 years ago, the collaboration is still actively doing data analyses, publishing results, and giving presentations at international conferences. Special considerations were needed to do analyses using a computing environment that was developed decades ago. A framework is required that preserves the data, data access, and the capability of doing analyses using a well defined and preserved environment. Also, BABAR’s support by SLAC ended at the beginning of 2021. Fortunately, the High Energy Physics Research Computing group at the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada, offered to provide the new home for the main BABAR computing infrastructure, the Grid Computing Centre Karlsruhe offered to host all data for access by analyses running at UVic, and CERN and the IN2P3 Computing Centre offered to store a backup of all data. This paper presents what was done at BABAR to preserve the data and analysis capabilities and what was needed to move the whole computing infrastructure, including collaboration tools and data files, away from SLAC. It will be shown how BABAR preserved the ability to continue to do data analyses and also have a working collaboration tools infrastructure. This paper will describe on BABAR’s experience with such a big change in its infrastructure and what was learned from it, which may be useful to other experiments which are interested in long term analysis support and data preservation in general.

Using the entire BABAR gamma(4S) dataset, the first two-dimensional unbinned angular analysis of the semileptonic decay (B) over bar -> Dl(-)(v) over bar (l) is performed, employing hadronic reconstruction of the tag-side B meson from gamma(4S) -> B (B) over bar. Here, l denotes the light charged leptons e and mu. Anovel data-driven signal-background separation procedure with minimal dependence on simulation is developed. This procedure preserves all multidimensional correlations present in the data. The expected sin(2) theta(l) dependence of the differential decay rate in the Standard Model is demonstrated, where theta(l) is the lepton helicity angle. Including input from the latest lattice QCD calculations and previously available experimental data, the underlying form factors are extracted using both model-independent (BGL) and dependent (CLN) methods. Comparisons with lattice calculations show flavor SU(3) symmetry to be a good approximation in the B-(s) -> D-(s) sector. Using the BGL results, the CKM matrix element vertical bar V-cb vertical bar = (41.09 +/- 1.16) x 10(-3) and the Standard Model prediction of the lepton-flavor universality violation variable R(D) = 0.300 +/- 0.004, are extracted. The value of vertical bar V-cb vertical bar from (B) over bar -> Dl(-)(v) over bar (l) tends to be higher than that extracted using (B) over bar -> Dl(-)(v) over bar (l). The Standard Model R(D) calculation is at a 1.97 sigma tension with the latest HFLAV experimental average.

Cloudscheduler is a system to manage resources of local and remote compute clouds and makes those resources available to HTCondor pools. It examines the resource needs of idle jobs, then starts virtual machines (VMs), sized accordingly, on allowed clouds with available resources. Using yaml files, cloudscheduler then provisions the VMs during the boot process with all necessary tools needed to register with HTCondor and run the experiment’s jobs. Although we have run cloudscheduler in its first version for ATLAS and Belle-II workloads successfully for more than 10 years, we developed cloudscheduler version 2 (CSV2), a complete overhaul and modernization of cloudscheduler. The new system is used successfully in production for Belle-II, ATLAS, DUNE, and BABAR. In addition to using cloudscheduler version 2 as a WLCG site, we also run it as a service for other WLCG sites, and the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR) group uses its own instance of CSV2 for their astronomy workloads. In this paper, we report on our experience in operating CSV2 for different experiment’s jobs, running on up to 10,000 cores across all experiments and clouds in North America, Australia, and Europe. We will also report on how to correctly account for the resource usage in the WLCG APEL system, how the monitoring works, as well as on the integration of different clouds and how to use resources opportunistically.

We study the processes e+e- -> K+K-a degrees a degrees a degrees y, K degrees SK +/- a -/+ a degrees a degrees y, and K degrees SK +/- a -/+ a+a-y in which an energetic photon is radiated from the initial state. The data were collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. About 1200, 2600, and 6000 events, respectively, are selected from a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 469 fb-1. The invariant mass of the hadronic final state defines the effective e+e- center-of-mass energy. The center-of-mass energies range from threshold to 4.5 GeV. From the mass spectra, the first ever measurements of the e+e- -> K+K-a degrees a degrees a degrees, e+e- -> K degrees SK +/- a -/+ a degrees a degrees, and e+e- -> K degrees SK +/- a -/+ a+a- cross sections are performed. The contributions from the intermediate states that include eta, phi, rho, K*(892), and other resonances are presented. We observe the J=psi and psi(2S) in most of these final states and measure the corresponding branching fractions, many of them for the first time.

A new mechanism has been proposed to simultaneously explain the presence of dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. This scenario predicts exotic $B$ meson decays into a baryon and a dark sector anti-baryon ($\psi_D$) with branching fractions accessible at $B$ factories. We present a search for $B \rightarrow \Lambda \psi_D$ decays using data collected by the $BABAR$ experiment at SLAC. This reaction is identified by fully reconstructing the accompanying $B$ meson and requiring the presence of a single $\Lambda$ baryon in the remaining particles. No significant signal is observed, and bounds on the $B \rightarrow \Lambda \psi_D$ branching fraction are derived in the range $0.13 - 5.2\times 10^{-5}$ for $1.0 < m_{\psi_D} < 4.2$ GeV/$c^{2}$. These results set strong constraints on the parameter space allowed by the theory.

Using the entire BaBar Υ(4S) data set, the first two-dimensional unbinned angular analysis of the semileptonic decay B→ D ℓ^- ν_ℓ is performed, employing hadronic reconstruction of the tag-side B meson from Υ(4S)→ BB. Here, ℓ denotes the light charged leptons e and μ. A novel data-driven signal-background separation procedure with minimal dependence on simulation is developed. This procedure preserves all multi-dimensional correlations present in the data. The expected sin^2θ_ℓ dependence of the differential decay rate in the Standard Model is demonstrated, where θ_ℓ is the lepton helicity angle. Including input from the latest lattice QCD calculations and previously available experimental data, the underlying form factors are extracted using both model-independent (BGL) and dependent (CLN) methods. Comparisons with lattice calculations show flavor SU(3) symmetry to be a good approximation in the B_(s)→ D_(s) sector. Using the BGL results, the CKM matrix element |V_cb|=(41.09± 1.16)× 10^-3 and the Standard Model prediction of the lepton-flavor universality violation variable ℛ(D)=0.300± 0.004, are extracted. The value of |V_cb| from B→ D ℓ^- ν_ℓ tends to be higher than that extracted using B→ D ℓ^- ν_ℓ. The Standard Model ℛ(D) calculation is at a 1.97σ tension with the latest HFLAV experimental average.

A dedicated measurement of additional radiation in e+e- -> mu+mu- gamma and e+e- -> pi+ pi- gamma initial-state radiation events is presented using the full BABAR data sample. For the first time results are presented at next -to-and next-to-next-to-leading order, with one and two additional photons, respectively, for radiation from the initial and final states. Comparison with predictions from PHOKHARA and AFKQED Monte Carlo generators is performed, revealing discrepancies in the one-photon rates and angular distributions for the former. This disagreement has a negligible effect on the BABAR measurement of the e+e- -> pi+ pi-(gamma) cross section, but could affect other measurements significantly. This study sheds a new light on the longstanding discrepancy in this channel that affects the theoretical prediction of hadronic vacuum polarization contributions to the muon magnetic moment anomaly.

A new dark sector antibaryon, denoted ψ_{D}, could be produced in decays of B mesons. This Letter presents a search for B^{+}→ψ_{D}+p (and the charge conjugate) decays in e^{+}e^{-} annihilations at 10.58 GeV, using data collected in the BABAR experiment. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 398  fb^{-1} are analyzed. No evidence for a signal is observed. Branching fraction upper limits in the range from 10^{-7}-10^{-5} are obtained at 90% confidence level for masses of 1.0<m_{ψ_{D}}<4.3  GeV/c^{2}. The result is also reinterpreted to provide the first limits on a supersymmetric model with R-parity violation and a light neutralino.

A dedicated measurement of additional radiation in $e^+e^-\to\mu^+\mu^-\gamma$ and $e^+e^-\to\pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ initial-state-radiation events is presented using the full BABAR data sample. For the first time results are presented at next-to- and next-to-next-to-leading order, with one and two additional photons, respectively, for radiation from the initial and final states. Comparison with predictions from Phokhara and AfkQed Monte Carlo generators is performed, revealing discrepancies in the one-photon rates and angular distributions for the former. This disagreement has a negligible effect on the BABAR measurement of the $e^+e^-\to\pi^+\pi^-(\gamma)$ cross section, but could affect other measurements significantly. This study sheds a new light on the longstanding discrepancy in this channel that affects the theoretical prediction of hadronic vacuum polarization contributions to the muon magnetic moment anomaly.

We present a new technique, "tau polarimetry," for measuring the longitudinal beam polarization present in an e(+)e(-) collider through the analysis of e(+)e(-) -> tau(+)tau(-) events. By exploiting the sensitivity of tau decay kinematics to the longitudinal polarization of the beams, we demonstrate that the longitudinal polarization can be measured with a 3 per mil systematic uncertainty at the interaction point using a technique that is independent of spin and beam transport modeling. Using 424.2 +/- 1.8 fb(-1) of BABAR data at root s = 10.58 GeV, the average longitudinal polarization of the PEP-II e(+)e(-) collider has been measured to be < P > = 0.0035 +/- 0.0024(stat) +/- 0.0029(sys). The systematic uncertainty studies are described in detail, which can serve as a guide for future applications of tau polarimetry. A proposed e(-) beam longitudinal polarization upgrade to the SuperKEKB e(+)e(-) collider would benefit from this technique.

This article presents a model-independent search for an additional, mostly sterile, heavy neutral lepton (HNL), that is capable of mixing with the Standard Model tau neutrino with a mixing strength of jU tau 4j2, corresponding to the absolute square of the extended Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix element. Data from the BABAR experiment, with a total integrated luminosity of 424 fb-1, are analyzed using a kinematic approach that makes no assumptions on the model behind the origins of the HNL, its lifetime or decay modes. No significant signal is found. Upper limits on jU tau 4j2 at the 95% confidence level, depend on the HNL mass hypothesis and vary from 2.31 x 10-2 to 5.04 x 10-6 (with all uncertainties considered), across the mass range 100 < m4 < 1300 MeV/c2; the more stringent limits being placed at higher masses.

We report on the first search for electron-muon lepton flavor violation (LFV) in the decay of a b quark and b antiquark bound state. We look for the LFV decay ϒ(3S)→e^{±}μ^{∓} in a sample of 118 million ϒ(3S) mesons from 27 fb^{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e^{+}e^{-} collider operating with a 10.36 GeV center-of-mass energy. No evidence for a signal is found, and we set a limit on the branching fraction B[ϒ(3S)→e^{±}μ^{∓}]<3.6×10^{-7} at 90% C. L. This result can be interpreted as a limit Λ_{NP}/g_{NP}^{2}>80 TeV on the energy scale Λ_{NP} divided by the coupling-squared g_{NP}^{2} of relevant new physics (NP).

Axionlike particles (ALPs) are predicted in many extensions of the standard model, and their masses can naturally be well below the electroweak scale. In the presence of couplings to electroweak bosons, these particles could be emitted in flavor-changing B meson decays. We report herein a search for an ALP, a, in the reaction B^{±}→K^{±}a, a→γγ using data collected by the BABAR experiment at SLAC. No significant signal is observed, and 90% confidence level upper limits on the ALP coupling to electroweak bosons are derived as a function of ALP mass, improving current constraints by several orders of magnitude in the range 0.175  GeV<m_{a}<4.78  GeV.

Collider searches for dark sectors, new particles interacting only feebly with ordinary matter, have largely focused on identifying signatures of new mediators, leaving much of dark sector structures unexplored. In particular, the existence of dark matter bound states (darkonia) remains to be investigated. This possibility could arise in a simple model in which a dark photon (A^{'}) is light enough to generate an attractive force between dark fermions. We report herein a search for a J^{PC}=1^{--} darkonium state, the ϒ_{D}, produced in the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→γϒ_{D}, ϒ_{D}→A^{'}A^{'}A^{'}, where the dark photons subsequently decay into pairs of leptons or pions, using 514  fb^{-1} of data collected with the BABAR detector. No significant signal is observed, and we set bounds on the γ-A^{'} kinetic mixing as a function of the dark sector coupling constant for 0.001<m_{A^{'}}<3.16  GeV and 0.05<m_{ϒ_{D}}<9.5  GeV.

We study the processes gamma gamma -> eta(c )-> eta'K+K-, eta'pi(+)pi(-), and eta pi(+)pi(-) using a data sample of 519 fb(-1) recorded with the BABAR detector operating at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at center-of-mass energies at and near the Upsilon(nS) (n = 2, 3, 4) resonances. This is the first observation of the decay eta(c)-> eta'K+K- and we measure the branching fraction Gamma (eta(c) -> eta' K+K- )/(Gamma(eta(c) -> eta'pi(+)pi(-)) = 0.644 +/- 0.039(stat) +/- 0.032(sys). Significant interference is observed between gamma gamma ->eta(c)->eta pi(+)pi(-) and the nonresonant two-photon process gamma gamma -> eta pi(+)pi(-). A Dalitz plot analysis is performed of eta(c) decays to eta'K+K-, eta'pi(+)pi(-) and eta pi(+)pi(-). Combined with our previous analysis of eta(c) -> K (K) over bar pi, we measure the K-0*(1430) parameters and the ratio between its eta'K and pi K couplings. The decay eta(c) -> eta'pi(+)pi(-) is dominated by the f(0)(2100) resonance, also observed in J/psi radiative decays. A new a(0) (1700) -> eta pi resonance is observed in the eta(c) -> eta pi(+)pi(-) channel. We also compare eta(c) decays to eta and eta' final states in association with scalar mesons as they relate to the identification of the scalar glueball.

We study the processes e(+)e(-) -> pi+ pi-pi(0)pi(0)pi(0)pi(0)gamma and pi(+) pi(-) pi(0)pi(0)pi eta gamma in which an energetic photon is radiated from the initial state. The data were collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. About 7300 and 870 events, respectively, are selected from a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 469 fb(-1). The invariant mass of the hadronic final state defines the effective e(+)e(-) center-of-mass energy. The center-of-mass energies range from threshold to 4.5 GeV. From the mass spectra, the first ever measurements of the e(+)e(-) -> pi(+)pi(-) pi(0)pi(0)pi(0)pi(0) and the e(+)e(-) -> pi(+)pi(-) pi(0)pi(0)pi(0)eta cross sections are performed. The contributions from omega pi(0)pi(0)pi(0), eta pi(+)pi(-)pi(0), omega eta, and other intermediate states are presented. We observe the J=psi and psi(2S) in most of these final states and measure the corresponding branching fractions, many of them for the first time.