No Arabic abstract
We present lattice results for the vector and scalar form factors of the semileptonic decays D -> pi ell u_ell and D -> K ell u_ell in the physical range of values of squared four momentum transfer q^2, obtained with N_f=2 maximally twisted Wilson fermions simulated at three different lattice spacings (a ~ 0.102 fm, 0.086 fm, 0.068 fm) with pion masses as light as 270 MeV and m_pi L gtrsim 4. The form factors are extracted using a double ratios strategy, which allows a good statistical accuracy and is independent of the vector current renormalization constant. The chiral/continuum extrapolation is performed through a simultaneous fit in the three variables (m_pi, q^2, a) using HMChPT formulae with additional O(a^2) terms that parametrically account for the lattice spacing dependence. Our results are in very good agreement with the experimental data in the full q^2 range for both D -> pi ell u_ell and D -> K ell u_ell. At zero momentum transfer we obtain f^{D->pi}(0) = 0.65(6)_{stat}(6)_{syst} and f^{D->K}(0) = 0.76(5)_{stat}(5)_{syst}, where the systematic error does not include the effects of quenching the strange and the charm quarks. Our findings are in good agreement with recent lattice calculations at N_f = 2+1.
We present the first lattice Nf=2+1+1 determination of the tensor form factor $f_T^{D pi(K)}(q^2)$ corresponding to the semileptonic and rare $D to pi(K)$ decays as a function of the squared 4-momentum transfer $q^2$. Together with our recent determination of the vector and scalar form factors we complete the set of hadronic matrix elements regulating the semileptonic and rare $D to pi(K)$ transitions within and beyond the Standard Model, when a non-zero tensor coupling is possible. Our analysis is based on the gauge configurations produced by ETMC with Nf=2+1+1 flavors of dynamical quarks, which include in the sea, besides two light mass-degenerate quarks, also the strange and charm quarks with masses close to their physical values. We simulated at three different values of the lattice spacing and with pion masses as small as 220 MeV. The matrix elements of the tensor current are determined for plenty of kinematical conditions in which parent and child mesons are either moving or at rest. As in the case of the vector and scalar form factors, Lorentz symmetry breaking due to hypercubic effects is clearly observed also in the data for the tensor form factor and included in the decomposition of the current matrix elements in terms of additional form factors. After the extrapolations to the physical pion mass and to the continuum and infinite volume limits we determine the tensor form factor in the whole kinematical region accessible in the experiments. A set of synthetic data points, representing our results for $f_T^{D pi(K)}(q^2)$ for several selected values of $q^2$, is provided and the corresponding covariance matrix is also available. At zero four-momentum transfer we get $f_T^{D pi}(0) = 0.506 (79)$ and $f_T^{D K}(0) = 0.687 (54)$, which correspond to $f_T^{D pi}(0)/f_+^{D pi}(0) = 0.827 (114)$ and $f_T^{D K}(0)/f_+^{D K}(0)= 0.898 (50)$.
We extract the form factors relevant for semileptonic decays of D and B mesons from a relativistic computation on a fine lattice in the quenched approximation. The lattice spacing is a=0.04 fm (corresponding to a^{-1}=4.97 GeV), which allows us to run very close to the physical B meson mass, and to reduce the systematic errors associated with the extrapolation in terms of a heavy quark expansion. For decays of D and D_s mesons, our results for the physical form factors at q^2=0 are as follows: f_+^{D to pi}(0)= 0.74(6)(4), f_+^{D to K}(0)= 0.78(5)(4) and f_+^{D_s to K}(0)=0.68(4)(3). Similarly, for B and B_s we find: f_+^{B to pi}(0)=0.27(7)(5), f_+^{B to K}(0)=0.32(6)(6) and f_+^{B_s to K}(0)=0.23(5)(4). We compare our results with other quenched and unquenched lattice calculations, as well as with light-cone sum rule predictions, finding good agreement.
We present results for form factors of semileptonic decays of $D$ and $B$ mesons in 2+1 flavor lattice QCD using the MILC gauge configurations. With an improved staggered action for light quarks, we successfully reduce the systematic error from the chiral extrapolation. The results for $D$ decays are in agreement with experimental ones. The results for B decays are preliminary. Combining our results with experimental branching ratios, we then obtain the CKM matrix elements $|V_{cd}|$, $|V_{cs}|$, $|V_{cb}|$ and $|V_{ub}|$. We also check CKM unitarity, for the first time, using only lattice QCD as the theoretical input.
We present lattice results for the form factors relevant in the K -> pion and D -> pion semileptonic decays, obtained from simulations with two flavors of dynamical twisted-mass fermions and pion masses as light as 260 MeV. For K -> pion decays we discuss the estimates of the main sources of systematic uncertainties, including the quenching of the strange quark, leading to our final result f+(0) = 0.9560 (57) (62). Combined with the latest experimental data, our value of f+(0) implies for the CKM matrix element |Vus| the value 0.2267 (5) (20) consistent with the first-row CKM unitarity. For D -> pion decays the application of Heavy Meson Chiral Perturbation Theory allows to extrapolate our results for both the scalar and the vector form factors at the physical point with quite good accuracy, obtaining a nice agreement with the experimental data. In particular at zero-momentum transfer we obtain f+(0) = 0.64 (5).
We present the first unquenched lattice-QCD calculation of the form factors for the decay $Bto D^astell u$ at nonzero recoil. Our analysis includes 15 MILC ensembles with $N_f = 2+1$ flavors of asqtad sea quarks, with a strange quark mass close to its physical mass. The lattice spacings range from $aapprox 0.15$ fm down to $0.045$ fm, while the ratio between the light- and the strange-quark masses ranges from 0.05 to 0.4. The valence b and c quarks are treated using the Wilson-clover action with the Fermilab interpretation, whereas the light sector employs asqtad staggered fermions. We extrapolate our results to the physical point in the continuum limit using rooted staggered heavy-light meson chiral perturbation theory. Then we apply a model-independent parametrization to extend the form factors to the full kinematic range. With this parametrization we perform a joint lattice-QCD/experiment fit using several experimental datasets to determine the CKM matrix element $|V_{cb}| = (38.40 pm 0.66_{text{th}} pm 0.34_{text{exp}}) times 10^{-3}$, where the first error is theoretical and the second comes from experiment. This result is still in tension with current inclusive determinations, but it is in agreement with previous exclusive determinations. We also integrate the differential decay rate obtained solely from lattice data to predict $R(D^ast) = 0.265 pm 0.013$, which confirms the current tension between theory and experiment.