No Arabic abstract
We revisit QCD calculations of radiative heavy meson decay form factors by including the subleading power corrections from the twist-two photon distribution amplitude at next-to-leading-order in $alpha_s$ with the method of the light-cone sum rules (LCSR). The desired hard-collinear factorization formula for the vacuum-to-photon correlation function with the interpolating currents for two heavy mesons is constructed with the operator-product-expansion technique in the presence of evanescent operators. Applying the background field approach, the higher twist corrections from both the two-particle and three-particle photon distribution amplitudes are further computed in the LCSR framework at leading-order in QCD, up to the twist-four accuracy. Combining the leading power point-like photon contribution at tree level and the subleading power resolved photon corrections from the newly derived LCSR, we update theory predictions for the nonperturbative couplings describing the electromagnetic decay processes of the heavy mesons $H^{ast , pm} to H^{pm} , gamma$, $H^{ast , 0} to H^{0} , gamma$, $H_s^{ast , pm} to H_s^{pm} , gamma$ (with $H=D, , B$). Furthermore, we perform an exploratory comparisons of our sum rule computations of the heavy-meson magnetic couplings with the previous determinations based upon different QCD approaches and phenomenological models.
Applying the method of light-cone sum rules with photon distribution amplitudes, we compute the subleading-power correction to the radiative leptonic $B to gamma ell u$ decay, at next-to-leading order in QCD for the twist-two contribution and at leading order in $alpha_s$ for the higher-twist contributions, induced by the hadronic component of the collinear photon. The leading-twist hadronic photon effect turns out to preserve the symmetry relation between the two $B to gamma$ form factors due to the helicity conservation, however, the higher-twist hadronic photon corrections can yield symmetry-breaking effect already at tree level in QCD. Using the conformal expansion of photon distribution amplitudes with the non-perturbative parameters estimated from QCD sum rules, the twist-two hadronic photon contribution can give rise to approximately 30% correction to the leading-power direct photon effect computed from the perturbative QCD factorization approach. In contrast, the subleading-power corrections from the higher-twist two-particle and three-particle photon distribution amplitudes are estimated to be of ${cal O} (3 sim 5%)$ with the light-cone sum rule approach. We further predict the partial branching fractions of $B to gamma ell u $ with a photon-energy cut $E_{gamma} geq E_{rm cut}$, which are of interest for determining the inverse moment of the leading-twist $B$-meson distribution amplitude thanks to the forthcoming high-luminosity Belle II experiment at KEK.
We reconsider QCD factorization for the leading power contribution to the $gamma^{ast} gamma to pi^0$ form factor $F_{gamma^{ast} gamma to pi^0} (Q^2)$ at one loop using the evanescent operator approach, and demonstrate the equivalence of the resulting factorization formulae derived with distinct prescriptions of $gamma_5$ in dimensional regularization. Applying the light-cone QCD sum rules (LCSRs) with photon distribution amplitudes (DAs) we further compute the subleading power contribution to the pion-photon form factor induced by the hadronic component of the real photon at the next-to-leading-order in ${cal O}(alpha_s)$, with both naive dimensional regularization and t Hooft-Veltman schemes of $gamma_5$. Confronting our theoretical predictions of $F_{gamma^{ast} gamma to pi^0} (Q^2)$ with the experimental measurements from the BaBar and the Belle Collaborations implies that a reasonable agreement can be achieved without introducing an exotic end-point behaviour for the twist-2 pion DA.
Employing the systematic framework of soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) we perform an improved calculation of the leading-power contributions to the double radiative $B_{d, , s}$-meson decay amplitudes in the heavy quark expansion. We then construct the QCD factorization formulae for the subleading power contributions arising from the energetic photon radiation off the constituent light-flavour quark of the bottom meson at tree level. Furthermore, we explore the factorization properties of the subleading power correction from the effective SCET current $J^{(A2)}$ at ${cal O} (alpha_s^0)$. The higher-twist contributions to the $B_{d, , s} to gamma gamma $ helicity form factors from the two-particle and three-particle bottom-meson distribution amplitudes are evaluated up to the twist-six accuracy. In addition, the subleading power weak-annihilation contributions from both the current-current and QCD penguin operators are taken into account at the one-loop accuracy. We proceed to apply the operator-production-expansion-controlled dispersion relation for estimating the power-suppressed soft contributions to the double radiative $B_{d, , s}$-meson decay form factors. Phenomenological explorations of the radiative $B_{d, , s} to gamma , gamma$ decay observables in the presence of the neutral-meson mixing, including the CP-averaged branching fractions, the polarization fractions and the time-dependent CP asymmetries, are carried out subsequently with an emphasis on the numerical impacts of the newly computed ingredients together with the theory uncertainties from the shape parameters of the HQET bottom-meson distribution amplitudes.
We review some recent progress in the theory of electroweak radiative corrections in semileptonic decay processes. The resurrection of the so-called Sirlins representation based on current algebra relations permits a clear separation between the perturbatively-calculable and incalculable pieces in the $mathcal{O}(G_Falpha)$ radiative corrections. The latter are expressed as compact hadronic matrix elements that allow systematic non-perturbative analysis such as dispersion relation and lattice QCD. This brings substantial improvements to the precision of the electroweak radiative corrections in semileptonic decays of pion, kaon, free neutron and $J^P=0^+$ nuclei that are important theory inputs in precision tests of the Standard Model. Unresolved issues and future prospects are discussed.
We study the exclusive semileptonic $B$-meson decays $Bto K(pi)ell^+ell^-$, $Bto K(pi) ubar u$, and $Btopitau u$, computing observables in the Standard model using the recent lattice-QCD results for the underlying form factors from the Fermilab Lattice and MILC Collaborations. These processes provide theoretically clean windows into physics beyond the Standard Model because the hadronic uncertainties are now under good control for suitably binned observables. For example, the resulting partially integrated branching fractions for $Btopimu^+mu^-$ and $Bto Kmu^+mu^-$ outside the charmonium resonance region are 1-2$sigma$ higher than the LHCb Collaborations recent measurements, where the theoretical and experimental errors are commensurate. The combined tension is 1.7$sigma$. Combining the Standard-Model rates with LHCbs measurements yields values for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements $|V_{td}|=7.45{(69)}times10^{-3}$, $|V_{ts}|=35.7(1.5)times10^{-3}$, and $|V_{td}/V_{ts}|=0.201{(20)}$, which are compatible with the values obtained from neutral $B_{(s)}$-meson oscillations and have competitive uncertainties. Alternatively, taking the CKM matrix elements from unitarity, we constrain new-physics contributions at the electroweak scale. The constraints on the Wilson coefficients ${rm Re}(C_9)$ and ${rm Re}(C_{10})$ from $Btopimu^+mu^-$ and $Bto Kmu^+mu^-$ are competitive with those from $Bto K^* mu^+mu^-$, and display a 2.0$sigma$ tension with the Standard Model. Our predictions for $Bto K(pi) ubar u$ and $Btopitau u$ are close to the current experimental limits.