new algorithms for identifying the flavour of $${\mathrm {b}} ^0$$ b 0 mesons using pions and protons

Abstract Two new algorithms for use in the analysis of $$pp$$ p p collision are developed to identify the flavour of $${\mathrm {B}} ^0$$ B 0 mesons at production using pions and protons from the hadronization process. The algorithms are optimized and calibrated on data, using $${{\mathrm {B}} ^0} \!\rightarrow D^{-}\pi ^{+}$$ B 0 → D - π + decays from $$pp$$ p p collision data collected by LHCb at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV . The tagging power of the new pion algorithm is 60% greater than the previously available one; the algorithm using protons to identify the flavour of a $${\mathrm {B}} ^0$$ B 0 meson is the first of its kind.