Roy A. Briere
Professor of Physics
Nuclear and Particle Physics
High Energy Physics Experiment
Wean Hall 7418
412-268-2742
Education & Professional Experience
Ph.D.: University of Chicago, Physics (1995)
Professional Societies:
Fellow, American Physical Society
Honors and Awards:
APS Outstanding Referee, 2009
Sugarman Award, Enrico Fermi Institute, Univ. of Chicago 1994
Professor of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, 2011–
Indefinite Tenure, Carnegie Mellon University, 2006
Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 2004–2011
Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, 1999–2004
Post-doctoral Research: Harvard University 1995–1999
Research Interests
My research field is high-energy particle physics. I am interested in "flavor physics" as well as other topics. Flavor physics is the study of the decays and other properties of the different types (or flavors) of quarks. The weak interaction, which is responsible for these decays, has several unique features, including the violation of discrete symmetries such as parity (mirror reflection) and CP (combined parity and matter-antimatter inversion). In addition, it is the only force which results in a change of particle type upon emission of one of its force carriers, the W boson. As such, it is responsible for all fundamental decays.
In 2013, I joined the BelleII experiment at the KEK Lab in Japan. This is a second-generation "B factory" operating in the 10 GeV energy range to study topics such as CP violation and rare B decays. Many other topics, including charm physics, are also accessible. We plan to accumulate a data sample 50 times larger than previous experiments. The CMU group is in charge of dE/dx calibration for the Central Drift Chamber. Physics interests include searching for CP violation in D meson decays.
I have also worked on the BESIII experiment at the BEPCII collider in Beijing since 2008. Electron-positron collisions are used to produce various bound states of charm quarks, enabling studies of weak decays of D0, D+ and Ds mesons. Many key measurements needed for progress in flavor physics, such as decay constants, semi-leptonic form factors, and absolute hadronic branching fractions, are made by our experiment. While DOE support has now ended (I am thankful for their past support), I remain active on the Publications committee as an editor of our publications.
My interest in flavor physics stems from my Ph.D. research measuring CP violation and performing tests of CPT symmetry (CP plus reversal of time flow) in the neutral K meson system, involving weak interactions of strange quarks. In 1995, I joined the CLEO collaboration as a postdoc; CLEO used electron-positron collisions to study bottom and charm quarks. When data-taking finished in 2008, I shifted my my focus to BESIII.
In addition to physics analysis, other interests include calibration of wire drift chambers (both for tracking and for dE/dx particle identification), and work on other software infrastructure, such as "D Tagging" tools and charm decay simulation. I also served as CLEO's elected co-spokesperson from 2005-2007, and earlier as CLEO Analysis Coordinator.
Selected Publications
Roy A. Briere, Frederick A. Harris, Ryan E. Mitchell, Physics Accomplishments and Future Prospects of the BES Experiments at the BEPC Collider, Annu. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 66, 143 (2016)
M. Ablikim et al., (BESIII Collaboration) Study of dynamics of D0→ K-e+ve and D0→π-e+νe, Phys. Rev. D 92, 072012 (2015)
Roy A. Briere, Observing Matter-Antimatter Oscillations, Physics 6, 26 (2013)
Roy A. Briere, A new source of CP violation?, Physics 3, 69 (2010)
Xue-Xiang Cao et al., Studies of dE/dx measurements with the BESIII, Chinese Phys. C 34, 1852 (2010)
R.A. Briere et al., Inclusive χbJ(nP) decays to D0X, Phys. Rev. D 78, 092007 (2008)
S. Dobbs et al., Measurement of absolute hadronic branching fractions of D mesons and e+e-→DD̅ cross sections at the ψ(3770), Phys. Rev. D 76, 112001 (2007)
D. Asner et al., Antideuteron production in Υ(nS) decays and the nearby continuum, Phys. Rev. D 75, 012009 (2007)
Q. He et al., Measurement of Absolute Hadronic Branching Fractions of D Mesons and e+e-→DD̅ Cross Sections at Ec.m.=3773 MeV, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 121801 (2005) Erratum: Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 199903 (2006)
G. Huang et al., Study of the Semileptonic Charm Decays D0→π-ℓ+ν and D0→K-ℓ+ν, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 011802 (2005)
S. Csorna et al., Measurements of the branching fractions and helicity amplitudes in B→D*ρ decays, Phys. Rev. D 67, 112002 (2003)
Roy A. Briere, Bruce Winstein, Determining the Phase of a Strong Scattering Amplitude from Its Momentum Dependence to Better Than 1°: The Example of Kaon Regeneration, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 402 (1995) Erratum: Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 2070 (1995)
B. Schwingenheuer et al., CPT Tests in the Neutral Kaon System, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 4376 (1995)
More Publications:
ORCID Researcher ID