Related papers: Interpreting LHCb's $\Lambda_b\to \Lambda_c\tau\ba…
Among (semi)leptonic rare $B$-decays induced by the $b \to d$ flavor changing neutral current, the decay $B^+ \to \pi^+ \mu^+ \mu^-$ is the only one observed so far experimentally. Related decays involving the $e^+e^-$ and $\tau^+ \tau^-$…
Ratios of branching fractions of semileptonic B decays, $(B \to H \mu \mu)$ over $(B \to H ee)$ with $H=K, K^*,X_s, K_0(1430), \phi, \ldots$ are sensitive probes of lepton universality. In the Standard Model, the underlying flavor changing…
Present measurements of b->c tau nu and b->u tau nu transitions differ from the standard model predictions of lepton flavor universality by almost 4sigma. We examine new physics interpretations of this anomaly. An effective field theory…
We revisit the status of the new-physics interpretations of the anomalies in semileptonic $B$ decays in light of the new data reported by Belle on the lepton-universality ratios $R_{D^{(*)}}$ using the semileptonic tag and on the…
In the Standard Model of particle physics, charged leptons of different flavour couple to the electroweak force carriers with the same interaction strength. This property, known as lepton flavour universality, was found to be consistent…
Extant anomalies in several semileptonic $B$-meson decays argue for physics beyond the Standard Model. Measurements of both neutral-current decays (such as $R_K$, $R_{K^*}$ and $B_s\rightarrow \phi\mu\mu$) as well as charged-current ones-…
The Standard Model (SM) predicts the universality of lepton couplings with the electroweak gauge bosons. Semileptonic decays of $b$-hadrons provide a powerful framework for testing the SM and probing possible New Physics effects. In…
The $R(D^{(*)})$ puzzle stands for a $\sim3\sigma$ violation of lepton flavor universality between the decay rates of $B\to D^{(*)}\tau\nu$ and $B\to D^{(*)}\ell\nu$, where $\ell=e,\mu$. If it is accounted for by new physics, there is no…
The measured $\bar{B}\to D^{(*)} l \bar\nu$ decay rates for light leptons ($l=e,\mu$) constrain all $\bar{B}\to D^{(*)}$ semileptonic form factors, by including both the leading and ${\cal O}(\Lambda_{\text{QCD}}/m_{c,b})$ subleading…
The Standard Model of particle physics predicts that charged leptons have the same electroweak interaction strength. This symmetry, called lepton flavour universality, was found to hold in a wide range of particle decays. One observable…
We evaluate the partial decay widths for the semileptonic $\Lambda_b \to \bar \nu_l l \Lambda_c(2595)$ and $\Lambda_b \to \bar \nu_l l \Lambda_c(2625)$ decays from the perspective that these two $\Lambda^*_c$ resonances are dynamically…
We construct an expression for a general lepton flavour universality (LFU) ratio, $R_{X}$, in $b\to s l^+ l^-$ decays in terms of a series of hadronic quantities which can be treated as nuisance parameters. This expression allows to include…
The following is an overview of the measurements of the CKM matrix elements V_cb and V_ub that are based on detailed studies of semileptonic B decays by the BABAR and Belle Collaborations and recent advances in QCD calculations. In…
I discuss recent progress in lattice calculations of $B \to D^{(*)} \ell \nu$ form factors, important for the precision determination of $|V_{cb}|$ in the Standard Model (SM), and for testing SM expectations of lepton flavor universality in…
The first observation of the semileptonic $b$-baryon decay $ \Lambda_b^0 \rightarrow \Lambda_c^+ \tau^-\overline{\nu}_{\tau}$, with a significance of $6.1\,\sigma$, is reported using a data sample corresponding to 3 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated…
While the LHC did not observe direct evidence for physics beyond the standard model, indirect hints for new physics were uncovered in the flavour sector in the decays $B\to K^*\mu^+\mu^-$, $B\to K\mu^+\mu^-/B\to Ke^+e^-$,…
Measurements of the branching ratios of $B \to D^{(*)}\tau\bar\nu/B \to D^{(*)}\ell\bar\nu$ and $B_c\to J/\psi\, \tau\bar\nu/B_c\to J/\psi\, \ell\bar\nu$ by the BaBar, Belle and LHCb collaborations consistently point towards an abundance of…
Babar, Belle and recently LHCb has reported an excess in the measurements of $R(D^{*})$, $R(D)$ and $\mathcal{B}r(B \rightarrow \tau \nu_{\tau} )$ than expected from SM, a possible signature of lepton flavor universality violating NP. In…
The LHCb collaboration has recently presented their result on R_K = BR(B+ -> K+ mu+ mu-)/ BR(B+ -> K+ e+ e-) for the dilepton invariant mass bin m_{ll}^2 = 1-6 GeV^2 (l = mu, e). The measurement shows an intriguing 2.6 sigma deviation from…
Semileptonic and purely leptonic decays of B meson to $\tau$, such as $B\to D^{(\ast)}\tau\nu_{\tau}$ and $B\to\tau\nu_\tau$ are studied. Recognizing that there already were some weak hints of possible deviations from the SM in the…