Related papers: Is There Still a B -> pi K Puzzle?
Rare $B$, $D$ and $K$ decays provide interesting probes of the Standard Model (SM), with a potential sensitivity to New Physics (NP) higher than other, more common, decays. Their experimental measurement is challenging, and their…
We impose U spin symmetry ($SU(2)_{\rm Uspin}$) on the Hamiltonian for $B$ decays. As expected, we find the equality of amplitudes related by the exchange $d \leftrightarrow s$. We also find that the amplitudes for the $\Delta S=0$…
We comment on a recent suggestion for measuring $\gamma$ in $B^0(t)\to K_S\pi^+\pi^-$. A difficulty is pointed out in relating electroweak penguin and tree amplitudes in $B^+\to K^0\pi^+\pi^0$, which is crucial for an implementation of this…
B --> K^* \pi and B --> \rho K decays involve the same quark-level processes as B --> \pi K. Analyzing the measurements of the former decays might be able to shed additional light on the new-physics hints in the current B --> \pi K data. We…
The $b\to d$ penguin amplitude receives contributions from internal $u$, $c$ and $t$-quarks. We show that it is impossible to measure the weak phase of any of these penguin contributions without theoretical input. However, a single…
A major goal in B physics is measuring the CP-violating asymmetry in the decay $B^0 \rightarrow \pi^+ \pi^-$. In order to determine one of the phase angles in the CKM matrix from this decay it is necessary to determine the influence of the…
We show that the neglect of the $(V-A)\times (V+A)$ pieces of the electroweak penguin (EWP) amplitudes in the effective hamiltonian (the Wilson coefficients are very small) allows one to calculate the relative size of some tree and EWP…
The decay $B^0 \to K^0 \pi^0$, dominated by a $b \to s$ penguin amplitude, holds the potential for exhibiting new physics in this amplitude. In the pure QCD penguin limit one expects $\ckp = 0$ and $\skp = \sin 2 \beta$ for the coefficients…
A systematic experimental search for two-body hadronic decays of the b-quark of the type b to quark + meson is proposed. These reactions have a well defined experimental signature and they should be theoretically cleaner compared to…
We investigate allowed regions in observable space of B --> pi K, B_d --> pi^+pi^- and B_s --> K^+K^- decays, characterizing these modes in the Standard Model. After a discussion of a new kind of contour plots for the $B\to\pi K$ system, we…
We classify the extensions of the Standard Model (SM) according to the structure of local operators in the weak effective Hamiltonian and the presence or absence of new flavour and CP-violating interactions beyond those represented by the…
We propose a method to quantify the Standard Model uncertainty in B to K pi decays using the experimental data, assuming that power counting provides a reasonable estimate of the subleading terms in the 1/mb expansion. Using this method, we…
Dalitz-plot analyses of $B\rightarrow K\pi\pi$ decays provide direct access to decay amplitudes, and thereby weak and strong phases can be disentangled by resolving the interference patterns in phase space between intermediate resonant…
We present a summary of the latest measurements of branching fractions and direct CP violations in the charmless hadronic two-body B decays B -> K^+ pi^-, K^+ pi^0, K^0 pi^+ and K^0 pi^0, performed by the Belle, BABAR, CDF and CLEO…
New physics contributions to the $Z$ penguin are revisited in the light of the recently-reported discrepancy of the direct CP violation in $K\to\pi\pi$. Interference effects between the standard model and new physics contributions to…
I discuss some puzzles observed in exclusive $B$ meson decays, concentrating on the large difference between the direct CP asymmetries in the $B^0\to \pi^\mp K^\pm$ and $B^\pm\to \pi^0 K^\pm$ modes, the large $B^0\to\pi^0\pi^0$ branching…
The doubly weak $b\to dd{\bar s}$ and $b\to ss{\bar d}$ processes are highly suppressed in the standard model that offer the unique opportunity to explore new physics signals. The wrong sign decay $\smash{\overline B}^0\to K^+\pi^-$…
We investigate the implications of the latest LHCb measurement of $R_K$ for NP explanations of the $B$ anomalies. The previous data could be explained if the $b \to s \mu^+ \mu^-$ NP is in (I) $C_{9,{\rm NP}}^{\mu\mu}$ or (II) $C_{9,{\rm…
We review the theoretical status of b to s hadronic penguin decays in the Standard Model and beyond. We summarize the main theoretical tools to compute Branching Ratios and CP asymmetries for b to s penguin dominated nonleptonic decays, and…
Flavour changing neutral currents are only allowed via loop diagrams in the Standard Model (SM). Electroweak penguin processes are therefore sensitive probes for new physics, as physics beyond the Standard Model can enter via virtual…