Factorization and hadronicBdecays in the heavy quark limit

Abstract

Abstract. Recent theoretical investigations (M. Beneke et al 1999 Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 1914 of two-body hadronic B decays have provided justification, at least to order α s , for the use of the factorization ansatz to evaluate the B decay matrix elements provided the decay meson containing the spectator quark is not heavy. Although data is now available on many charmless two-body B decay channels, it is so far not very precise with systematic and statistical errors in total of the order of 25% or greater. We take an overview of these channels and of other channels containing vector mesons. Because factorization involves many poorly known soft QCD parameters, and because of the imprecision of current data, we present simplified formulae for a wide range of B decays into the lowest mass pseudoscalar and vector mesons. These formulae, valid in the heavy quark limit, involve a reduced set of soft QCD parameters and, although resulting in some loss of accuracy, should still provide an adequate and transparent tool with which to confront data for some time to come. Finally we confront these formulae with data on nineteen channels. We find a plausible set of soft QCD parameters that, apart from three pseudoscalar vector channels, fit the branching ratios and the recently measured value of sin(2β) quite well.

Factorization fits to charmless strangelessBdecays

“…We have made previous attempts [1,2] to understand charmless B meson decay data in terms of the QCD factorization model of Beneke et al (BBNS) [3,4]. In fitting the data we found evidence for charming penguinlike contributions [5] to the decay amplitudes in addition to the BBNS amplitudes.…”

Atmospheric neutrinos can make beauty strange

“…In this region of parameter space the operators O ′ 3−6 make large contributions to S φK , while there is essentially only one contribution to B s mixing, namely that from the operator shown in Equation (35). Unfortunately there is no simple, precise, relationship between the combination of the ∆B = 1 operators and the operator responsible for B s mixing.…”

Testing QCD factorization and charming penguin diagrams in charmlessB→PV

“…In [41], a global fit to B → P P, P V, V V was investigated using QCDF in the heavy quark limit and it has been found a plausible set of soft QCD parameters that apart from three pseudoscalar vector channels, fit well the experimental branching ratios. Recently [36] it was claimed from a global fit to B → P P, P V that the predictions of QCD factorization are in good agreement with experiment when one excludes some channels from the global fit.…”