Semileptonic Decays: an Update Down Under

Heavy-meson semileptonic decays calculations on the lattice are reviewed. The focus is upon obtaining reliable matrix elements. Errors that depend upon the lattice spacing, $a$, are an important source of systematic error. Full $O(a)$ improvement of matrix elements for arbitrary-mass four-component quarks is discussed. With improvement, bottom-quark matrix elements can be calculated directly using current lattices. Momentum dependent errors for $O(a)$-improved quarks and statistical noise limit momenta to around 1 GeV/c with current lattices. Hence, maximum recoil momenta can be reached for $D$ decays while only a fraction of the maximum recoil momentum can be reliably studied for the light-meson decay modes of the $B$. Differential decay rates and partial widths are phenomenologically important quantities in $B$ decays that can be reliably determined with present lattices.Comment: 14 pages, 9 postscript figures, requires espcrc2.st

Chiral Perturbation Theory and Weak Matrix Elements

I describe recent developments in quenched chiral perturbation theory (QChPT) and the status of weak matrix elements involving light quarks. I illustrate how, with improved statistical errors, and with calculations of the masses of baryons containing non-degenerate quarks, there is now a clear need for extrapolations of higher order than linear in the quark mass. I describe how QChPT makes predictions for the functional forms to use in such extrapolations, and emphasize the distinction between contributions coming from chiral loops which are similar to those present in unquenched theories, and those from $\eta'$ loops which are pure quenched artifacts. I describe a fit to the baryon masses using the predictions of QChPT. I give a status report on the numerical evidence for $\eta'$ loops, concluding that they are likely present, and are characterized by a coupling $\delta=0.1-0.2$. I use the difference between chiral loops in QCD and quenched QCD to estimate the quenching errors in a variety of quantities. I then turn to results for matrix elements, largely from quenched simulations. Results for quenched decay constants cannot yet be reliably extrapolated to the continuum limit. By contrast, new results for $B_K$ suggest a continuum, ``quenched'' value of $B_K(NDR, 2 GeV) = 0.5977 \pm 0.0064 \pm 0.0166$, based on a quadratic extrapolation in $a$. The theoretical basis for using a quadratic extrapolation has been confirmed. For the first time there is significant evidence that unquenching changes $B_K$, and my estimate for the value in QCD is $B_K(NDR, 2 GeV) = 0.66 \pm 0.02 \pm 0.11$. Here the second error is a conservative estimate of the systematic error due to uncertainties in the effect of quenching. A less conservative viewpoint reduces $0.11$ to $0.03$.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, Latex using espcrc2.sty and psfig. Talk presented at LATTICE96(phenomenology

Status of Heavy Quark Physics on the Lattice

The status of lattice calculations of some phenomenology of heavy quarks is presented. Emphasis is on progress made in calculating those quantities relevant to estimating parameters of the quark mixing matrix, namely leptonic decay constants, the bag parameter of neutral $B$ mixing, and semileptonic form factors. New results from studies of quarkonia are highlighted.Comment: LATTICE98(Plenary Review Talk), to be published in Nucl. Phys. Proc. Suppl.; LaTeX, 15 pages, 9 PostScript figures, uses espcrc2.st

Heavy Light Weak Matrix Elements

I review the status of lattice calculations of heavy-light weak matrix elements, concentrating on semileptonic B decays to light mesons, B -> K* gamma, the B meson decay constant, f_B, and the mixing parameter B_B.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX2e with 6 postscript figures. Uses espcrc2.sty and epsf.sty (included). Talk presented at LATTICE96(heavy quarks

Renormalization of the effective theory for heavy quarks at small velocity

The slope of the Isgur-Wise function at the normalization point, $\xi^{(1)}(1)$,is one of the basic parameters for the extraction of the $CKM$ matrix element $V_{cb}$ from exclusive semileptonic decay data. A method for measuring this parameter on the lattice is the effective theory for heavy quarks at small velocity $v$. This theory is a variant of the heavy quark effective theory in which the motion of the quark is treated as a perturbation. In this work we study the lattice renormalization of the slow heavy quark effective theory. We show that the renormalization of $\xi^{(1)}(1)$ is not affected by ultraviolet power divergences, implying no need of difficult non-perturbative subtractions. A lattice computation of $\xi^{(1)}(1)$ with this method is therefore feasible in principle. The one-loop renormalization constants of the effective theory for slow heavy quarks are computed to order $v^2$ together with the lattice-continuum renormalization constant of $\xi^{(1)}(1)$ . We demonstrate that the expansion in the heavy-quark velocity reproduces correctly the infrared structure of the original (non-expanded) theory to every order. We compute also the one-loop renormalization constants of the slow heavy quark effective theory to higher orders in $v^2$ and the lattice-continuum renormalization constants of the higher derivatives of the $\xi$ function. Unfortunately, the renormalization constants of the higher derivatives are affected by ultraviolet power divergences, implying the necessity of numerical non-perturbative subtractions. The lattice computation of higher derivatives of the Isgur-Wise function seems therefore problematic.Comment: Latex, 43 pages, 5 figures available by fax upon request. To be published in Nucl. Phys

Heavy quark physics from lattice QCD

I review the current status of lattice calculations of heavy quark quantities. Particular emphasis is placed on leptonic and semileptonic decay matrix elements.Comment: Lattice2001(plenary), 12 pages, 6 figures. Table 1 updated and typos in Figure 6 correcte

A precise determination of the Bc mass from dynamical lattice QCD

We perform a precise calculation of the mass of the B_c meson using unquenched configurations from the MILC collaboration including 2+1 flavours of improved staggered quarks. Lattice NRQCD and the Fermilab formalism are used to describe the b and c quarks respectively. We find the mass of the B_c meson to be 6.304(16) GeVComment: Talk presented at Lattice2004(heavy), Fermilab, June 21-26. 3 pages, 2 figure