"LHCb: Search for New Physics at a Hadron B factory"

<!--HTML-->Many essential features of the quark sector of the Standard Model have first been probed by s- and b-quark decays in a indirect manner: notable examples include the SU(2) doublet structure, the existence of three generations, and the masses of the charm and top quarks. Recent progress made by the experiments at B factories and Tevatron in the study of b-hadron decays now put serious constraints in the characteristics of possible physics beyond the Standard Model, through measurements related to the Flavour Changing Neutral Current. When the LHC becomes operational, it will be the most powerful source of b-hadrons. The LHCb experiment will then be able to study such processes in the B_s system with a similar accuracy to that achieved by the B factories in the Bd system, allowing to improve further the stringent tests of the Standard Model. The experiment will also improve the measurements in the B_d system as well. It may observe a sign of new physics first and, in combination with the ATLAS and CMS results, will probe the flavour structure of the new physics. In this presentation, we review the evolution of the LHCb experiment in conjunction with the development of physics, the current status of the experiment and its prospects.