Rare B decays allow to investigate fundamental interactions regarding their flavor, chiral, Dirac and CP properties. In anticipation of the large data samples of exclusive B decays into muons from the forthcoming LHC experiments, in particular LHCb,
as well as possible super flavor factories, we review the theoretical status and outline future opportunities to explore the borders of the Standard Model and beyond.
The decay bar B -> bar K* (-> bar K pi) l+ l- offers great opportunities to explore the physics at and above the electroweak scale by means of an angular analysis. We investigate the physics potential of the seven CP asymmetries plus the asymmetry in
the rate, working at low dilepton mass using QCD factorization at next-to leading order (NLO). The b ->s CP asymmetries are doubly Cabibbo-suppressed lesssim 1 % in the Standard Model and its extensions where the CKM matrix is the only source of CP violation. Three CP asymmetries are T-odd, and can be O(1) in the presence of non-standard CP violation. The T-even asymmetries can reach O(0.1), limited by the small strong phases in the large recoil region. We furthermore point out an easy way to measure CP phases from time-integrated, untagged bar B_d, B_d -> K* (-> K0 pi0) l+ l- and bar B_s,B_s -> phi (-> K+ K-) l+ l- decays. Analyses of these CP asymmetries can rule out, or further support the minimal description of CP violation through the CKM mechanism. Experimental studies are promising for (super) flavor factories and at hadron colliders.
