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  1. We search for the rare decayB+K+νν¯in a362fb1sample of electron-positron collisions at theϒ(4S)resonance collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. We use the inclusive properties of the accompanyingBmeson inϒ(4S)BB¯events to suppress background from other decays of the signalBcandidate and light-quark pair production. We validate the measurement with an auxiliary analysis based on a conventional hadronic reconstruction of the accompanyingBmeson. For background suppression, we exploit distinct signal features using machine learning methods tuned with simulated data. The signal-reconstruction efficiency and background suppression are validated through various control channels. The branching fraction is extracted in a maximum likelihood fit. Our inclusive and hadronic analyses yield consistent results for theB+K+νν¯branching fraction of[2.7±0.5(stat)±0.5(syst)]×105and[1.10.8+0.9(stat)0.5+0.8(syst)]×105, respectively. Combining the results, we determine the branching fraction of the decayB+K+νν¯to be[2.3±0.5(stat)0.4+0.5(syst)]×105, providing the first evidence for this decay at 3.5 standard deviations. The combined result is 2.7 standard deviations above the standard model expectation.

    Published by the American Physical Society2024 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 1, 2025