Related papers: Unitarity triangle angles from penguin-dominated B…
The CKM paradigm has been proven to be successful in explaining the flavour structure of the standard model and the non-trivial imaginary phase of the CKM matrix is the only know source of CP-violation. B-meson decays allow us to precisely…
We discuss new, theoretically clean strategies to determine the angle $\gamma$ of the unitarity triangle from $B_d\to DK_{S(L)}$, $B_s\to D\eta^{(')}, D\phi, ...$ decays, and point out that the $B_s\to DK_{S(L)}$ and $B_d\to D\pi^0,…
We analyse the B -> pi pi, pi K modes in the light of the most recent B-factory data, and obtain the following new results: (i) the B0 -> pi+ pi-, pi- K+ modes prefer gamma=(74+-6)deg, which - together with |V_ub/V_cb| - allows us to…
Theoretically motivated smallness of the penguin amplitude in $B \to \pi \pi$ decays allowes to calculate the value of the unitarity triangle angle $\alpha (\phi_2)$ with good accuracy. The relatively large branching ratio of the decay into…
Determinations of the CKM phase $\gamma$ from weak nonleptonic $B$ decays are affected by electroweak (EW) penguins and rescattering effects. In this talk it is explained how the EW penguin effects can be controlled with the help of SU(3)…
In the recent literature, constraints on the CKM angle $\gamma$ arising from the branching ratios for $B^\pm\to\pi^\pm K$ and $B_d\to\pi^\mp K^\pm$ decays received a lot of attention. An important theoretical limitation of the accuracy of…
We review recent experimental results on hadronic decays and lifetimes of hadrons containing b and c quarks. We discuss charm counting and the semileptonic branching fraction in B decays, the color suppressed amplitude in B decay, and the…
We study charmless two-body baryonic B decays in a diagramatic approach. Relations on decay amplitudes are obtained. In general there are more than one tree and more than one penguin amplitudes. The number of independent amplitudes can be…
As we pointed out recently, the neutral decays $B_d\to\pi^\mp K^\pm$ and $B_d\to\pi^0K$ may provide non-trivial bounds on the CKM angle $\gamma$. In this paper, we reconsider this approach in the light of recent CLEO data, which look very…
The principal goal of the B-factories is to test the CKM paradigm through measurements that overconstrain the shape of the so-called Unitarity Triangle. The sides of the triangle are evaluated through absolute values of several elements of…
Knowing the mass of the b-quark is essential to the study of the structure and decays of B mesons as well as to future tests of the Higgs mechanism of mass generation. We present recent preliminary measurements of the b-quark mass and…
The great progress made recently in the sector of Flavor Physics has enabled to establish CP violation in the B-meson decays. The unitarity triangle derived from the unitarity relation $V_{ub}^* V_{ud} + V_{cb}^* V_{cd} + V_{tb}^* V_{td} =…
These proceedings are based on lectures given at the Helmholtz International Summer School Heavy Quark Physics at the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Dubna, Russia, during August 2008. I review the current status of CP…
I review several methods for determining the CKM phases $\alpha \equiv \phi_2$ and $\gamma \equiv \phi_3$ through CP asymmetry measurements in hadronic B decays. The current status of these measurements and the near future feasibility of…
Using the latest determinations of several theoretical and experimental parameters, we update the Unitarity Triangle analysis in the Standard Model. The basic experimental constraints come from the measurements of |V_ub/V_cb|, Delta M_d,…
Over the last two decades, $B \to \pi K$ modes have received a lot of attention. They are particularly interesting since the main contribution to these decays comes from QCD penguin topologies. Furthermore, electroweak penguin amplitudes…
Recent topics regarding CP violation in heavy meson systems are discussed. As an introduction, the status of the Unitarity Triangle fit and CP violation in B meson mixing are briefly reviewed. Two topics are covered in more detail: Penguin…
One of the key elements in the testing of the Standard-Model description of CP violation through $B$-meson decays is the direct determination of the angle $\gamma$ of the unitarity triangle in a variety of ways. We give a brief overview of…
Motivated by the recent experimental data, we have revisited the $B\to \pi K,\pi \pi$ decays in the framework of QCD factorization, with inclusion of the important strong penguin corrections of order $\alpha_s^2$ induced by $b\to D g^\ast…
The exploration of the quark-flavour sector of the Standard Model is one of the hot topics in particle physics of this decade. In these studies, which show a fruitful interplay between theory and experiment, the B-meson system offers a…