Speaker
Description
Semileptonic B decays are shadowed by two persistent puzzles: a ~3-sigma tension between inclusive and exclusive determinations of |Vcb| and |Vub|, and a related lepton flavour universality deviation seen in R(D(*)) and other tau/light-lepton ratios. A third, less-discussed issue may connect the two: the hadronic composition of B -> Xc l nu, including the long-standing "gap" between inclusive and summed-exclusive branching fractions, enters as a systematic input to both programs. Belle II, at the SuperKEKB e+e- collider, offers a uniquely clean environment to advance all three fronts. Closing in on these puzzles with the precision they demand requires progress along two complementary axes: extracting more information out of every collision through better measurement strategies and modelling, and simply delivering more collisions by keeping the accelerator running at its full potential.
On the measurement side, I present progress along three directions: new determinations of |Vcb| and |Vub| exploiting improved tagging and modelling techniques, world-leading tests of lepton universality enabled by improved particle identification, and ongoing efforts to resolve the semileptonic gap through dedicated searches and inclusive moment analysis.
On the data side, I present efforts to protect and maximize SuperKEKB luminosity through machine-learning-based anomaly detection: deep learning forecasting models that flag Sudden Beam Loss precursors ahead of conventional monitors, complementary techniques to localize their source, and progress toward real-time deployment on dedicated hardware.