Interference Between Cabibbo Allowed and Doubly Forbidden Transitions in D\ra K_{S,L} + \pi 's Decays

Both Cabibbo allowed and doubly forbidden transitions contribute coherently to $D\rightarrow K_{S,L}+\pi 's$ decays. This leads to several intriguing and even quantitatively significant consequences, among them: (i) A difference between $\Gamma (D^+\rightarrow K_S \pi ^+)$ and $\Gamma (D^+\rightarrow K_L \pi ^+)$ and between $\Gamma (D^0\rightarrow K_S \pi ^0)$ and $\Gamma (D^0\rightarrow K_L \pi ^0)$ of roughly 10\% ; similarly $\Gamma (D^+\rightarrow [K_S\pi ^0]_{K^*} \pi ^+) \neq \frac{1}{4}\Gamma (D^+\rightarrow [K^-\pi ^+]_{K^*} \pi ^+)$, and more generally $\Gamma (D\rightarrow \bar K^0+\pi 's) \neq 2\Gamma (D\rightarrow K_S+\pi 's)$. (ii) A change in the relative phase between the isospin 3/2 and 1/2 amplitudes as extracted from the observed branching ratios for $D^+\rightarrow K_S\pi ^+$, $D^0\rightarrow K_S\pi ^0 ,\, K^-\pi ^+$. (iii) If New Physics intervenes to provide the required {\em weak} phase, then CP asymmetries of up to a few per cent can arise in $D^+\rightarrow K_S\pi ^+$ vs. $D^-\rightarrow K_S\pi ^-$, $D^0\rightarrow K_S\pi ^0$ vs. $\bar D^0\rightarrow K_S\pi ^0$, $D^+\rightarrow [K_S\pi ^0]_{K^*}\pi ^+$ vs. $D^-\rightarrow [K_S\pi ^0]_{K^*}\pi ^-$, etc.; an asymmetry of the same size, but opposite in sign occurs when the $K_S$ is replaced by a $K_L$ in the final state.Comment: 6 pages, latex, no figure

Anathematizing the Guralnik and Manohar Inequality for \bar{\Lambda}

There is a recent claim by Guralnik and Manohar \cite{GM} to have established a rigorous lower bound on $\bar \Lambda$, the asymptotic difference between the mass of a heavy flavour {\em hadron} and that of the heavy flavour {\em quark}. We point out the flaw in their reasoning and discuss the underlying physical problem. An explicit counterexample to the GM bound is given; one can therefore not count on a refined proof to re-establish this bound. *********** Uses LaTeX No figures No macros file used.Comment: 7 pages Preprint UND-HEP-93-BIG07, CERN-TH.7091/9

On Extracting Heavy Quark Parameters from Moments with Cuts

We point out that applying the photon energy cut significantly modifies the moments of energy spectrum in B->X_s+gamma decays, with a certain class of effects not accounted for in the mostly used OPE expressions. This leads to a systematic bias in the extracted values of the b quark mass and other heavy quark parameters. The apparent b quark mass increases typically by 70MeV or more, together with an even more dramatic downward shift in the kinetic expectation value. Accounting for these cut-related shifts brings different measurements into a good agreement, when the OPE-based theory employs the robust approach. These nonperturbative effects are exponential in the effective hardness severely lowered by high cuts, and do not signify a breakdown of the 1/m_b expansion itself. Similar effects in semileptonic b->c decays are briefly addressed. We stress the utility of the second moment of E_gamma once these effects are incorporated.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, two figure. Contributed to the Lepton-Photon Conference, 2003, FNA

D^0 - D^0-bar Oscillations as a Probe of Quark-Hadron Duality

It is usually argued that the Standard Model predicts slow D^0-\bar D^0 oscillations with \Delta M_D, \Delta \Gamma_D < 10^{-3}*\Gamma_D$ and that New Physics can reveal itself through \Delta M_D exceeding 10^{-3}*\Gamma_D. It is believed that the bulk of the effect is due to long distance dynamics that cannot be described at the quark level. We point out that in general the OPE yields soft GIM suppression scaling only like (m_s/\mu_{hadr})^2 and even like m_s/\mu_{hadr} rather than m_s^4/m_c^4 of the simple quark box diagram. Such contributions can actually yield \Delta M_D, \Delta \Gamma_D \sim O(10^{-3})*\Gamma_D without invoking additional long distance effects. They are reasonably suppressed as long as the OPE and local duality are qualitatively applicable in the 1/m_c expansion. We stress the importance of improving the sensitivity on \Delta \Gamma_D as well as \Delta M_D in a dedicated fashion as a laboratory for analyzing the onset of quark-hadron duality and comment on the recent preliminary study on \Delta \Gamma_D by the FOCUS group.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX. Revised: A reference and a few clarifications in the text are added. A few inconsistencies in equations are eliminated. We found the standard contribution to Delta M_D to differ from the expression usually quoted in the literatur

B decay shape variables and the precision determination of |Vcb| and mb

We present expressions for shape variables of B decay distributions in several different mass schemes, to order $\alpha_s^2\beta_0$ and (Lambda_{QCD}/mb)^3. Such observables are sensitive to the b quark mass and matrix elements in the heavy quark effective theory, and recent measurements allow precision determinations of some of these parameters. We perform a combined fit to recent experimental results from CLEO, BABAR, and DELPHI, and discuss the theoretical uncertainties due to nonperturbative and perturbative effects. We discuss the possible discrepancy between the OPE prediction, recent BABAR results and the measured branching fraction to D and D* states. We find |Vcb| = (40.8 +- 0.9) x 10^{-3} and mb^{1S} = 4.74 +- 0.10 GeV, where the errors are dominated by experimental uncertainties.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, Version to appear in PR

Inclusive BcB_c Decays As A QCD Lab

Phenomenological models of heavy flavour decays differ significantly in their predictions of global features of $B_c$ decays, like the $B_c$ lifetime or the relative weight of c\ra s and b\ra c transitions. The $1/m_Q$ expansion which is directly based on QCD allows predictions on the pattern to be expected, namely $\tau (B_c)$ to lie well below 1 psec with c\ra s dominating over b\ra c and a reduced semileptonic branching ratio. Due to interference effects one also predicts a lower charm content in the final states of $B_c$ decays than naively anticipated. The numerical aspect of the predictions, however, has to be viewed with considerable caution since one cannot expect the $1/m_c$ expansion to converge readily for $\Delta C=1$ transitions.Comment: 9 pages; LATEX, no figures; submitted for publicatio

Hadron Spectra for Semileptonic Heavy Quark Decay

We calculate the leading perturbative and power corrections to the hadronic invariant mass and energy spectra in semileptonic heavy hadron decays. We apply our results to the $B$ system. Moments of the invariant mass spectrum, which vanish in the parton model, probe gluon bremsstrahlung and nonperturbative effects. Combining our results with recent data on $B$ meson branching ratios, we obtain a lower bound $\bar\Lambda>410\,{\rm MeV}$ and an upper bound $m_b^{\rm pole}<4.89\,$GeV. The Brodsky-Lepage-Mackenzie scale setting procedure suggests that higher order perturbative corrections are small for bottom decay, and even tractable for charm decay.Comment: 24 pages, uses REVTeX, 5 EPS figures embedded with epsf.sty, slightly modified version to appear in Phys. Rev.

CP Violation and the Cathedral Builders' Paradigm

Pointing out the profound and unique nature of CP violation, I sketch its basic phenomenology, its CKM prescription and QCD technologies relevant for heavy flavour physics. After emphasizing the paradigmatic character of the establishment of direct CP violation I turn to the future, namely indirect searches for New Physics in electric dipole moments, $K_{\mu 3}$ decays and charm transitions on one hand and in beauty decays on the other; these are described as exciting adventures with novel challenges not encountered before.Comment: 20 pages, LaTex, Introductory Lecture given at CPconf2000, Intern. Conf. on CP Violation Physics, Sept. 18 - 22, 2000, Ferrara, Italy; few additions, in particular one reference to an early paper by Mohapatra on CP violatio

CP violation for neutral charmed meson decays to CP eigenstates

CP asymmetries for neutral charmed meson decays to CP eigenstates are carefully studied. The formulas and numerical results are presented. The impact on experiments is briefly discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, Revte

Nonperturbative Corrections to Inclusive Beauty and Charm Decays: QCD versus Phenomenological Models

We present a selfconsistent method for treating nonperturbative effects in inclusive nonleptonic and semileptonic decays of heavy flavour hadrons. These effects give rise to powerlike corrections $\propto 1/m_Q^n\,$, $n \ge 2$ with $m_Q$ denoting the heavy quark mass.The leading correction to the semileptonic branching ratio occurs for n=2. It is expressed in terms of the vector-pseudoscalar mass splitting: \delta BR\ind{sl}/BR\ind{sl} \simeq BR\ind{nl}\, \cdot \,6\,(\,(M_V^2-M_P^2)/m_Q^2)\cdot (c_+^2 - c_-^2)/2N_c and yields a {\it reduction} of BR\ind{sl}. This nonperturbative correction contributes to the nonleptonic width with a sign opposite to that of the perturbative terms that are non-leading in $1/N_c$. In beauty decays the former reduces the latter by 20 \% whereas in charm decays they more or less cancel. This leads to a {\it reduction} of BR\ind{sl} by no more than 10 \% in beauty decays and by a factor of roughly two in charm decays. We confront these results with those obtained from phenomenological models of heavy flavour decays and find that such models are unable to mimic these leading corrections by a specific choice of quark masses or by invoking Fermi motion.Comment: 11 pages (2 figs are not included), Latex file, FERMILAB-PUB-92/158-T UND-HEP-92-BIG04 TPI-MINN-92/30-