\[B_i=\frac{N_i}{N_{\mathrm{total}}}\]
Variables
Bi[Bᵢ]branching fraction
Ni[Nᵢ]number of decays in channel i
Ntotaltotal number of decays
Description
What is this formula?
The branching fraction formula calculates the fraction of particle decays that occur through a specific decay channel relative to the total number of decays.
When to use it
Use this formula in particle physics when analyzing decay channels, detector event statistics, resonance decays, and particle interaction probabilities.
Example
A particle decays:
Ni = 2500 times through a specific channel
Total observed decays:
Ntotal = 10000
Formula:
Bi = Ni/Ntotal
Substitution:
Bi = 2500/10000
Result:
Bi = 0.25
The branching fraction for this decay channel is 25%.
Applications
Particle decay analysis, collider experiments, detector calibration, resonance studies, and high-energy physics measurements.