Related papers: Inclusive $B_c$ Decays As A QCD Lab
Theoretical predictions for inclusive semileptonic B decay rates are rewritten in terms of the Upsilon(1S) meson mass instead of the b quark mass, using a modified perturbation expansion. This method gives theoretically consistent and…
Precision tests of the Standard Model and searches for New Physics in the quark flavor sector depend on accurate theoretical calculations of decay rates and spectra for rare, flavor-changing processes. The theoretical status and recent…
I present analyses of semileptonic $B_c$ decays. I first discuss the decays induced by $c \to \{s, d \}$ transitions, in particular $B_c \to B_a \, \bar{\ell} \, \nu_\ell$ and $B_c \to B_a^*(\to B_a \, \gamma) \, \bar{\ell} \, \nu_\ell$…
Global fits to charmless B --> PP decays in the framework of flavor SU(3) symmetry are updated and improved without reference to the \sin2\beta measured from the charmonium decay modes. Fit results directly constrain the (\bar\rho,\bar\eta)…
Exclusive hadronic B-meson decays into two-body final states consisting of a light pseudoscalar or vector meson along with an eta or eta' meson are of great phenomenological interest. Their theoretical analysis involves decay mechanisms…
The QCD factorization (QCDF) method usually contains infrared divergences which introduce large model dependence to its predictions on charmless B decays. The amplitudes of charmless B decays can be decomposed into "tree" and "penguin"…
A critical review of the theoretical understanding of the lifetimes of beauty hadrons is given. A model-independent analysis using the heavy-quark expansion allows for a description of the lifetime ratios tau(B-)/tau(B0) and…
In the framework of three-point QCD sum rules, the form factors for the semileptonic decays of B_c --> B_s(B_s^*) l \nu are calculated with account for the Coulomb-like alpha_s/v-corrections in the heavy quarkonium. The generalized…
The total decay widths of heavy mesons can be systematically calculated in terms of an expansion in the two parameters $1/m_Q$ and $\alpha_s(m_Q)$, where $Q=c,b$ denotes the heavy quark. The dominant contributions to meson lifetime…
The semileptonic decay $\Lambda_c \to \Lambda \ell \nu$ is considered in the framework of heavy quark effective theory beyond the leading order in the $1/m_c$ expansion. According to our estimate the polarization variable will receive only…
Precise theoretical predictions derived from the Standard Model are a key ingredient in searches for new physics in the flavor sector. The large mass and long lifetime of the $b$ quark make processes involving $b$ quarks of particular…
The current status of the theory and phenomenology of weak decays of hadrons containing a heavy quark is reviewed. Exclusive semileptonic and rare decays of $B$ mesons are discussed, as well as inclusive decay rates, the semileptonic…
The importance of charm decays in the context of flavor is motivated. A theory overview on recent developments in leptonic and semileptonic decays, hadronic two-body decays, and rare decays is presented. Standard Model (SM) predictions as…
The differential decay spectrum $d\Gamma/dE_e dq^2$ for the semileptonic decay of an unpolarized hadron containing a b-quark, and the decay spectrum $d\Gamma/dE_e dq^2 d\!\cos\theta$ for polarized $\Lambda_b$ decay are computed to second…
We compute next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the $1/m_b^2$ terms of the Heavy Quark Expansion for the contribution to inclusive nonleptonic bottom hadron decays induced by the charged-current operators mediating the transitions $b…
The $B_{c}$ ${\to}$ $B_{s}{\pi}$ decay is studied with the perturbative QCD approach. Three types of wave functions for $B_{s}$ meson are considered. The transition form factor $F_{0}^{B_{c}{\to}B_{s}}(0)$ and the branching ratio ${\cal…
Over the last few years a theoretical treatment for the weak decays of heavy-flavour hadrons has been developed that is genuinely based on QCD. Its methodology is described as it applies to total lifetimes, and the underlying theoretical…
Inclusive semileptonic decays of beauty baryons are studied using the heavy quark expansion to ${\cal O}(1/m_b^3)$, at leading order in $\alpha_s$. The case of a polarized decaying baryon is examined, with reference to $\Lambda_b$. An…
The weak decays Xi_b -> Lambda_b pi and Xi_c -> Lambda_c pi, in which the heavy quark is not destroyed, are discussed. The branching fractions for these decays, corresponding to an absolute rate of order 0.01 ps^{-1}, should be at a one…
We make predictions and propose tests for the semi-leptonic decays $B\to D^{(*)} l \bar{\nu}_l$ and $\Lambda_b\to \Lambda_c l \bar{\nu}_l$, with $l$ = $e$, $\mu$ and $\tau$. Preliminarily, we study such processes according to the $\ell-s$…