The B -> pi K Puzzle and its Relation to Rare B and K Decays

The Standard-Model interpretation of the ratios of charged and neutral B-> pi K rates, R_c and R_n, respectively, points towards a puzzling picture. Since these observables are affected significantly by colour-allowed electroweak (EW) penguins, this ``B -> pi K puzzle'' could be a manifestation of new physics in the EW penguin sector. Performing the analysis in the R_n-R_c plane, which is very suitable for monitoring various effects, we demonstrate that we may, in fact, move straightforwardly to the experimental region in this plane through an enhancement of the relevant EW penguin parameter q. We derive analytical bounds for q in terms of a quantity L, that measures the violation of the Lipkin sum rule, and point out that strong phases around 90 deg are favoured by the data, in contrast to QCD factorisation. The B -> pi K modes imply a correlation between q and the angle gamma that in the limit of negligible rescattering effects and colour suppressed EW penguins depends only on the value of L. Concentrating on a minimal flavour-violating new-physics scenario with enhanced Z^0 penguins, we find that the current experimental values on B -> X_s mu^+ mu^- require roughly L pi K data give L = 5.7 +- 2.4, L has either to move to smaller values once the B -> pi K data improve or new sources of flavour and CP violation are needed. In turn, the enhanced values of L seen in the B -> pi K data could be accompanied by enhanced branching ratios for rare decays. Most interesting turns out to be the correlation between the B -> pi K modes and BR(K^+ -> pi^+ nu nu), with the latter depending approximately on a single ``scaling'' variable \bar L= L (|V_{ub}/V_{cb}|/0.086)^2.3.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, a few typos corrected and two references adde

New Aspects of B -> pi pi, pi K and their Implications for Rare Decays

We analyse the B -> pi pi, pi K modes in the light of the most recent B-factory data, and obtain the following new results: (i) the B0 -> pi+ pi-, pi- K+ modes prefer gamma=(74+-6)deg, which - together with |V_ub/V_cb| - allows us to determine the ``true'' unitarity triangle and to search for CP-violating new-physics contributions to B0_d-\bar B0_d mixing; (ii) the B -> pi K puzzle reflected in particular by the low experimental value of the ratio R_n of the neutral B -> pi K rates persists and still favours new physics in the electroweak penguin sector with a new CP-violating phase phi ~ -90deg, although now also phi ~ +90deg can bring us rather close to the data; (iii) the mixing-induced B0 -> pi0 K_S CP asymmetry is a sensitive probe of the sign of this phase, and would currently favour phi ~ +90deg, as well as the direct CP asymmetry of B+- -> pi0 K+-, which suffers, however, from large hadronic uncertainties; (iv) we investigate the sensitivity of our B -> pi K analysis to large non-factorizable SU(3)-breaking effects and find that their impact is surprisingly small so that it is indeed exciting to speculate on new physics; (v) assuming that new physics enters through Z0 penguins, we study the interplay between B -> pi K and rare B, K decays and point out that the most recent B-factory constraints for the latter have interesting implications, bringing us to a few scenarios for the future evolution of the data, where also the mixing-induced CP violation in B0 -> pi0 K_S plays a prominent role.Comment: Two references added, to appear in the European Physical Journal

Controlling Molecular Scattering by Laser-Induced Field-Free Alignment

We consider deflection of polarizable molecules by inhomogeneous optical fields, and analyze the role of molecular orientation and rotation in the scattering process. It is shown that molecular rotation induces spectacular rainbow-like features in the distribution of the scattering angle. Moreover, by preshaping molecular angular distribution with the help of short and strong femtosecond laser pulses, one may efficiently control the scattering process, manipulate the average deflection angle and its distribution, and reduce substantially the angular dispersion of the deflected molecules. We provide quantum and classical treatment of the deflection process. The effects of strong deflecting field on the scattering of rotating molecules are considered by the means of the adiabatic invariants formalism. This new control scheme opens new ways for many applications involving molecular focusing, guiding and trapping by optical and static fields

Approximate Minimum Diameter

We study the minimum diameter problem for a set of inexact points. By inexact, we mean that the precise location of the points is not known. Instead, the location of each point is restricted to a contineus region (\impre model) or a finite set of points (\indec model). Given a set of inexact points in one of \impre or \indec models, we wish to provide a lower-bound on the diameter of the real points. In the first part of the paper, we focus on \indec model. We present an $O(2^{\frac{1}{\epsilon^d}} \cdot \epsilon^{-2d} \cdot n^3 )$ time approximation algorithm of factor $(1+\epsilon)$ for finding minimum diameter of a set of points in $d$ dimensions. This improves the previously proposed algorithms for this problem substantially. Next, we consider the problem in \impre model. In $d$-dimensional space, we propose a polynomial time $\sqrt{d}$-approximation algorithm. In addition, for $d=2$, we define the notion of $\alpha$-separability and use our algorithm for \indec model to obtain $(1+\epsilon)$-approximation algorithm for a set of $\alpha$-separable regions in time $O(2^{\frac{1}{\epsilon^2}}\allowbreak . \frac{n^3}{\epsilon^{10} .\sin(\alpha/2)^3} )$

General Lower Bounds for b -> d Penguin Processes

For the exploration of flavour physics, b -> d penguin processes are an important aspect, with the prominent example of \bar B^0_d -> K^0 \bar K^0. We recently derived lower bounds for the CP-averaged branching ratio of this channel in the Standard Model; they were found to be very close to the corresponding experimental upper limits, thereby suggesting that \bar B^0_d -> K^0 \bar K^0 should soon be observed. In fact, the BaBar collaboration subsequently announced the first signals of this transition. Here we point out that it is also possible to derive lower bounds for \bar B -> \rho \gamma decays, which are again surprisingly close to the current experimental upper limits. We show that these bounds are realizations of a general bound that holds within the Standard Model for b -> d penguin processes, allowing further applications to decays of the kind B^\pm -> K^{(\ast)\pm} K^{(\ast)} and B^\pm -> \pi^\pm \ell^+ \ell^-, \rho^\pm \ell^+ \ell^-.Comment: Minor changes, to appear as rapid communication in Phys. Rev

Non-factorizable contributions to Bd0ˉ→Ds(∗)Ds(∗)ˉ\bar{B^0_d} \to D_s^{(*)} \bar{D_s^{(*)}}

It is pointed out that decays of the type $B \to D \bar{D}$ have no factorizable contributions, unless at least one of the charmed mesons in the final state is a vector meson. The dominant contributions to the decay amplitudes arise from chiral loop contributions and tree level amplitudes generated by soft gluon emissions forming a gluon condensate. We predict that the branching ratios for the processes $\bar B^0 \to D_s^+ D_s^-$, $\bar B^0 \to D_s^{+*} D_s^-$ and $\bar B^0 \to D_s^+ D_s^{-*}$ are all of order $(3- 4) \times 10^{-4}$, while $\bar B^0 \to D_s^{+*} D_s^{-*}$ has a branching ratio 5 to 10 times bigger. We emphasize that the branching ratios are sensitive to $1/m_c$ corrections.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Based on talk by J.O. Eeg at BEACH 2004, 6th international conference on Hyperons, Charm and Beauty Hadrons, Illionois Institute of Technology, Chicago, june. 27 - july 3, 200

Using B_s^0 Decays to Determine the CP Angles \alpha and \gamma

Dighe, Gronau and Rosner have shown that, by assuming SU(3) flavor symmetry and first-order SU(3) breaking, it is possible to extract the CP angles \alpha and \gamma from measurements of the decay rates of B_d^0(t) --> \pi^+\pi^-, B_d^0 --> \pi^- K^+ and B^+ --> \pi^+ K^0, along with their charge-conjugate processes. We extend their analysis to include the SU(3)-related decays B_s^0 --> \pi^+ K^-, B_s^0(t) --> K^+ K^- and B_s^0 --> K^0 {\bar K^0}. There are several advantages to this extension: discrete ambiguities are removed, fewer assumptions are necessary, and the method works even if all strong phases vanish. In addition, we show that \gamma can be obtained cleanly, with no penguin contamination, by using the two decays B_s^0(t) --> K^+ K^- and B_s^0 --> K^0 {\bar K^0}.Comment: 28 pages, LaTe

Jet-like tunneling from a trapped vortex

We analyze the tunneling of vortex states from elliptically shaped traps. Using the hydrodynamic representation of the Gross-Pitaevskii (Nonlinear Schr\"odinger) equation, we derive analytically and demonstrate numerically a novel type of quantum fluid flow: a jet-like singularity formed by the interaction between the vortex and the nonhomogenous field. For strongly elongated traps, the ellipticity overwhelms the circular rotation, resulting in the ejection of field in narrow, well-defined directions. These jets can also be understood as a formation of caustics since they correspond to a convergence of trajectories starting from the top of the potential barrier and meeting at a certain point on the exit line. They will appear in any coherent wave system with angular momentum and non-circular symmetry, such as superfluids, Bose-Einstein condensates, and light.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Project {\tt SANC} (former {\tt CalcPHEP}): Support of Analytic and Numeric calculations for experiments at Colliders

The project, aimed at the theoretical support of experiments at modern and future accelerators -- TEVATRON, LHC, electron Linear Colliders (TESLA, NLC, CLIC) and muon factories, is presented. Within this project a four-level computer system is being created, which must automatically calculate, at the one-loop precision level the pseudo- and realistic observables (decay rates and event distributions) for more and more complicated processes of elementary particle interaction, using the principle of knowledge storing. It was already used for a recalculation of the EW radiative corrections for Atomic Parity Violation [1] and complete one-loop corrections for the process $e^+ e^-\to t\bar{t}$ [2-4]; for the latter an, agreement up to 11 digits with FeynArts and the other results is found. The version of {\tt SANC} that we describe here is capable of automatically computing the decay rates and the distributions for the decays $Z(H,W)\to f\bar{f}$ in the one-loop approximation.Comment: 3 Latex, Presented at ICHEP2002, Amsterdam, July 24-30, 2000; Submitted to Proceeding

Soliton control in modulated optically-induced photonic lattices

We discuss soliton control in reconfigurable optically-induced photonic lattices created by three interfering beams. We reveal novel dynamical regimes for strongly localized solitons, including binary switching and soliton revivals through resonant wave mixing.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Content modifie