Testing Explanations of the B→ϕK∗B\to\phi K^* Polarization Puzzle

$B\to\phi K^*$ (\btos) is three separate decays, one for each polarization of the final-state vector mesons (one longitudinal, two transverse). It is observed that the fraction of transverse decays, \fT, and the fraction of longitudinal decays, \fL, are roughly equal: \fTfL \simeq 1, in opposition to the naive expectation that \fT \ll \fL. If one requires a single explanation of all polarization puzzles, two possibilities remain within the standard model: penguin annihilation and rescattering. In this paper we examine the predictions of these two explanations for \fTfL in \btod decays. In $B \to \rho\rho$ decays, only \bd \to \rho^0\rho^0 can possibly exhibit a large \fTfL. In B decays related by U-spin, we find two promising possibilities: (i) $B^+ \to K^{*0} \rho^+$ (\btos) and B^+ \to \Kbar^{*0} K^{*+} (\btod) and (ii) \bs \to K^{*0} \Kbar^{*0} (\btos) and \bd \to \Kbar^{*0} K^{*0} (\btod). The measurement of \fTfL in these pairs of decays will allow us to test penguin annihilation and rescattering. Finally, it is possible to distinguish penguin annihilation from rescattering by performing a time-dependent angular analysis of \bd \to \Kbar^{*0} K^{*0}.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. Added reference and PACS numbers. To appear in PR

Study of Polarization in B -> VT Decays

In this paper, we examine B -> VT decays (V is a vector and T is a tensor meson), whose final-state particles can have transverse or longitudinal polarization. Measurements have been made of B -> \phi K_2^*, and it is found that fT/fL is small, where fT (fL) is the fraction of transverse (longitudinal) decays. We find that the standard model (SM) naively predicts that fT/fL << 1. The two extensions of the naive SM which have been proposed to explain the large fT/fL in B -> \phi K^* -- penguin annihilation and rescattering -- make no firm predictions for the polarization in B -> \phi K_2^*. The two new-physics scenarios, which explain the data in B -> \pi K and the \phi (\rho) K^* polarization measurements, can reproduce the fT/fL data in B -> \phi K_2^* only if the B -> T form factors obey a certain hierarchy. Finally, we present the general angular analysis which can be used to get helicity information using two- and three-body decays.Comment: 15 pages, latex, 3 figures (enclosed), several changes made, conclusions unchanged, publication info adde

Constraining anomalous Higgs boson couplings to virtual photons

We present a study of Higgs boson production in vector boson fusion and in association with a vector boson and its decay to two vector bosons, with a focus on the treatment of virtual loops and virtual photons. Our analysis is performed with the JHU generator framework. Comparisons are made to several other frameworks, and the results are expressed in terms of an effective field theory. New features of this study include a proposal on how to handle singularities involving Higgs boson decays to light fermions via photons, calculation of the partial Higgs boson width in the presence of anomalous couplings to photons, a comparison of the next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections to effects from effective couplings, and phenomenological observations regarding the special role of intermediate photons in analysis of LHC data in the effective field theory framework. Some of these features are illustrated with projections for experimental measurements with the full LHC and HL-LHC datasets.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figure