Abstract

B-mesons have proved to be an invaluable tool in studying a wide range of Standard Model physics, such as CP violation, FCNC decays and the precise measurement of CKM parameters. The Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment presents us with the best opportunity yet to extend these studies fully into the baryonic sector of b-physics. This seminar will discuss the benefits and the challenges that arise from these complementary baryonic studies and will give an outline of the recent results from LHCb concerning the Λ_b baryon, including the recent pentaquark discovery in the Λ_b -> J/Ψ p K channel and with a focus on the ongoing search for the rare FCNC decay Λ_b -> pK μ μ.