Weak annihilation and new physics in charmless [Formula: see text] decays

Area of Science:

• High Energy Physics
• Particle Physics
• Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)

Background:

• Nonleptonic charmless 2-body B meson decays provide a sensitive probe for physics beyond the Standard Model.
• These decays are mediated by QCD-penguin and QED-penguin operators, involving complex interactions.
• Understanding weak annihilation (WA) and new physics effects is crucial for interpreting experimental data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate weak annihilation effects and new physics contributions in B meson decays using QCD factorization.
• To introduce and test a universal weak annihilation parameter for decays related by b-quark interchange.
• To explore model-independent scenarios addressing the 'B -> J/psi K(*) puzzle' and tensions in other decays.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of currently available experimental data for nonleptonic charmless 2-body B meson decays.
• Application of the QCD factorization framework to model decay amplitudes.
• Introduction of a universal weak annihilation parameter and simultaneous determination of WA and new physics parameters.

Main Results:

• The universality assumption for the weak annihilation parameter is supported by data, with notable exceptions in the B -> J/psi K(*) system (the 'B -> J/psi K(*) puzzle') and tensions in B -> phi K(*).
• Within the Standard Model, the data generally aligns with the universal WA parameter assumption.
• Beyond the Standard Model analyses, incorporating scenarios like QED-penguin and current-current operators, simultaneously determine WA and new physics parameters.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the viability of the universal weak annihilation parameter assumption in most B meson decays.
• The persistent 'B -> J/psi K(*) puzzle' and other observed tensions suggest the presence of new physics.
• Future measurements from LHCb and Belle II will allow for more stringent tests of the weak annihilation universality and new physics scenarios.