The rare decay $Btopiell^+ell^-$ arises from $bto d$ flavor-changing neutral currents and could be sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Here, we present the first $ab$-$initio$ QCD calculation of the $Btopi$ tensor form factor $f_T$. Together with the vector and scalar form factors $f_+$ and $f_0$ from our companion work [J. A. Bailey $et~al.$, Phys. Rev. D 92, 014024 (2015)], these parameterize the hadronic contribution to $Btopi$ semileptonic decays in any extension of the Standard Model. We obtain the total branching ratio ${text{BR}}(B^+topi^+mu^+mu^-)=20.4(2.1)times10^{-9}$ in the Standard Model, which is the most precise theoretical determination to date, and agrees with the recent measurement from the LHCb experiment [R. Aaij $et~al.$, JHEP 1212, 125 (2012)]. Note added: after this paper was submitted for publication, LHCb announced a new measurement of the differential decay rate for this process [T. Tekampe, talk at DPF 2015], which we now compare to the shape and normalization of the Standard-Model prediction.
Download