Exploring hints of New Physics in the decay modes B -> pi K^* and B -> rho K can shed light on the B -> K pi puzzle. In this talk we discuss supersymmetric contributions to the direct CP asymmetries of the decays B -> pi K^* and B -> rho K within Soft Collinear Effective Theory. We consider non-minimal flavor SUSY contributions mediated by gluino exchange and apply the Mass Insertion Approximation in the analysis. We show that gluino contributions can enhance the CP asymmetries and accommodate the experimental results.
We analyze the $5sigma$ difference between the CP asymmetries of the $B^0 to K^+ pi^-$ and $B^+ to K^+ pi^0$ decays within the Soft Collinear Effective Theory. We find that in the Standard Model, such a big difference cannot be achieved. We classify then the requirements for the possible New Physics models, which can be responsible for the experimental results. As an example of a New Physics model we study minimal supersymmetric models, and find that the measured asymmetry can be obtained with non-minimal flavor violation.
We summarize a recent strategy for a global analysis of the B -> pi pi, pi K systems and rare decays. We find that the present B -> pi pi and B -> pi K data cannot be simultaneously described in the Standard Model. In a simple extension in which new physics enters dominantly through Z^0 penguins with a CP-violating phase, only certain B -> pi K modes are affected by new physics. The B -> pi pi data can then be described entirely within the Standard Model but with values of hadronic parameters that reflect large non-factorizable contributions. Using the SU(3) flavour symmetry and plausible dynamical assumptions, we can then use the B -> pi pi decays to fix the hadronic part of the B -> pi K system and make predictions for various observables in the B_d -> pi^-+ K^+- and B^+- -> pi^+- K decays that are practically unaffected by electroweak penguins. The data on the B^+- -> pi^0 K^+- and B_d -> pi^0 K modes allow us then to determine the electroweak penguin component which differs from the Standard Model one, in particular through a large additional CP-violating phase. The implications for rare K and B decays are spectacular. In particular, the rate for K_L -> pi^0 nu bar nu is enhanced by one order of magnitude, the branching ratios for B_{d,s} -> mu^+ mu^- by a factor of five, and BR(K_L -> pi^0 e^+ e^-, pi^0 mu^+ mu^-) by factors of three.
We investigate a possibility of observing CP asymmetries in the partial widths for the decays B^- -> pi^+ pi^- K^- and B^- -> K^+ K^- K^- produced by the interference of the non-resonant decay amplitude with the resonant amplitudes. The resonant states which subsequently decay into pi^+ pi^- and K^+ K^- or K^- pi^+ are charmonium c(bar) c states with J^P = 0^+, 1^-, 1^+ or the phi(1020) meson. We find that the largest partial width asymmetry comes from the chi_c0 resonance, while the resonances K^*_0(1430) and psi(2S) give a partial width asymmetry of the order 10%.
A search is made for the highly-suppressed B meson decays $B^{+}rightarrow K^{+}K^{+}pi^{-}$ and $B^{+}rightarrow pi^{+}pi^{+}K^{-}$ using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 $fb^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. No evidence is found for the decays, and upper limits at 90% confidence level are determined to be $mathcal{B}(B^{+}rightarrow K^{+}K^{+}pi^{-}) < 1.1times 10^{-8}$ and $mathcal{B}(B^{+}rightarrow pi^{+}pi^{+}K^{-}) < 4.6times 10^{-8}$.
Recently, we have seen interesting progress in the exploration of CP violation in B^0_d -> pi^+ pi^-: the measurements of mixing-induced CP violation by the BaBar and Belle collaborations are now in good agreement with each other, whereas the picture of direct CP violation is still unclear. Using the branching ratio and direct CP asymmetry of B^0_d -> pi^- K^+, this situation can be clarified. We predict A_CP^dir(B_d -> pi^+ pi^-) = -0.24+-0.04, which favours the BaBar result, and extract gamma=(70.0^{+3.8}_{-4.3})deg, which agrees with the unitarity triangle fits. Extending our analysis to other B -> pi K modes and B^0_s -> K^+ K^- with the help of the SU(3) flavour symmetry and plausible dynamical assumptions, we find that all observables with colour-suppressed electroweak penguin contributions are measured in excellent agreement with the Standard Model. As far as the ratios R_{c,n} of the charged and neutral B -> pi K branching ratios are concerned, which are sizeably affected by electroweak penguin contributions, our Standard-Model predictions have almost unchanged central values, but significantly reduced errors. Since the new data have moved quite a bit towards these results, the B -> pi K puzzle for the CP-conserving quantities has been significantly reduced. However, the mixing-induced CP violation of B^0_d -> pi^0 K_S does look puzzling; if confirmed by future measurements, this effect could be accommodated through a modified electroweak penguin sector with a large CP-violating new-physics phase. Finally, we point out that the established difference between the direct CP asymmetries of B^+- -> pi^0 K^+- and B_d -> pi^-+ K^+- appears to be generated by hadronic and not by new physics.