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

The Mass Definition in Hqet and a New Determination of Vcb_{\text{cb}}

Positive powers of the mass parameter in a physical quantity calculated with the help of heavy quark effective theory originate from a Wilson coefficient in the matching of QCD and HQET Green function. We show that this mass parameter enters the calculation as a well--defined running current mass. We further argue that the recently found ill--definition of the pole mass, which is the natural expansion parameter of HQET, does not affect a phenomenological analysis which uses truncated perturbative series. We reanalyse inclusive semileptonic decays of heavy mesons and obtain the $c$ quark mass $m_c^{\overline{\text{MS}}}(m_c) = (1.35\pm 0.20)\,\text{GeV}$ where the error is almost entirely due to scale--uncertainties. We also obtain $m_b^{\overline{\text{MS}}}(m_b) = (4.6\pm 0.3)\,\text{GeV}$ and $|V_{cb}|(\tau_B/1.49\,\text{ps})^{1/2} = 0.036\pm 0.005$ where the errors come from the uncertainty in the kinetic energy of the heavy quark inside the meson, in the experimental branching ratios, in QCD input parameters, and scale--uncertainties.Comment: 21 p., 5 figs, all style files incl., TUM-T31-56/R (Sec. 2 revised, phenomenological results unchanged

Bloch-Nordsieck cancellations beyond logarithms in heavy particle decays

We investigate the one-loop radiative corrections to the semileptonic decay of a charged particle at finite gauge boson mass. Extending the Bloch-Nordsieck cancellation of infrared logarithms, the subsequent non-analytic terms are also found to vanish after eliminating the pole mass in favor of a mass defined at short distances. This observation justifies the operator product expansion for inclusive decays of heavy mesons and implies that infrared effects associated with the summation of the radiative corrections are suppressed by at least three powers of the mass of the heavy decaying particle.Comment: LATEX, 7 pages, one figure appended as uu-encoded ps-file, MPI-PhT/94-1

Heavy meson semileptonic decays in two dimensions in the large Nc

We study QCD in 1+1 dimensions in the large Nc limit using light-front Hamiltonian perturbation theory in the 1/Nc expansion. We use this formalism to exactly compute hadronic transition matrix elements for arbitrary currents at leading order in 1/Nc, which we use to write the semileptonic differential decay rate of a heavy meson and its moments. We then compare with the results obtained using an effective field theory approach based on perturbative factorization, with the intention of better understanding quark-hadron duality. A very good numerical agreement is obtained between the exact result and the result using effective theories.Comment: Talk given at the High-Energy Physics International Conference on Quantum Chromodynamics, 3-7 July (2006), Montpellier (France

Spectator Effects in Inclusive Decays of Beauty Hadrons

We evaluate the matrix elements of the four-quark operators which contribute to the lifetimes of $B$-mesons and the $\Lambda_b$-baryon. We find that the spectator effects are not responsible for the discrepancy between the theoretical prediction and experimental measurement of the ratio of lifetimes $\tau(\Lambda_b)/\tau(B)$.Comment: LATTICE98. 3 pages, no figure

On the Determination of ∣Vub∣|V_{ub}| from Inclusive Semileptonic Decay Spectra

We propose a model independent method to determine $|V_{ub}|$ from the energy spectrum of the charged lepton in inclusive semileptonic $B$ decays. The method includes perturbative QCD corrections as well as nonperturbative ones.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages, 8 figures appended after \end{document} as uu-encoded and compressed .eps files, uses epsf, Technion-PH-94/9, CERN-TH.7308/9

Non-Abelian Dipole Radiation and the Heavy Quark Expansion

Dipole radiation in QCD is derived to the second order in $\alpha_s$. A power-like evolution of the spin-singlet heavy quark operators is obtained to the same accuracy. In particular, ${\cal O}(\alpha_s^2)$ relation between a short-distance low-scale running heavy quark mass and the \barMS mass is given. We discuss the properties of the effective QCD coupling \aw(E) which governs the dipole radiation. This coupling is advantageous for heavy quark physics.Comment: 12 pages, Late

Precision Studies of Duality in the 't Hooft Model

We address numerical aspects of local quark-hadron duality using the example of the exactly solvable 't Hooft model, two-dimensional QCD with N_c --> infinity. The primary focus of these studies is total semileptonic decay widths relevant for extracting |V_{cb}| and |V_{ub}|. We compare the exact channel-by-channel sum of exclusive modes to the corresponding rates obtained in the standard 1/m_Q expansion arising from the Operator Product Expansion. An impressive agreement sets in unexpectedly early, immediately after the threshold for the first hadronic excitation in the final state. Yet even at higher energy release it is possible to discern the seeds of duality-violating oscillations. We find the ``Small Velocity'' sum rules to be exceptionally well saturated already by the first excited state. We also obtain a convincing degree of duality in the differential distributions and in an analogue of R_{e^+e^-}(s). Finally, we discuss possible lessons for semileptonic decays of actual heavy quarks in QCD.Comment: 45 pages, 16 eps figures include

Heavy Quark Expansion and Preasymptotic Corrections to Decay Widths in the 't Hooft Model

We address nonperturbative power corrections to inclusive decay widths of heavy flavor hadrons in the context of the 't Hooft model (two-dimensional QCD at N_c->oo), with the emphasis on the spectator-dependent effects sensitive to the flavor of the spectator. The summation of exclusive widths is performed analytically using the `t Hooft equation. We show that the 1/m_Q expansion of both the Weak Annihilation and Pauli Interference widths coincides with the OPE predictions, to the computed orders. Violation of local duality in the inclusive widths is quantified, and the new example is identified where the OPE prediction and the actual effect are completely saturated by a single final state. The qualitative aspects of quark hadronization emerging from the analysis in the 't Hooft model are discussed. Certain aspects of summation of spectator-independent hadronic weak decay widths are given in more detail, which were not spelled out previously. We also give some useful details of the 1/m_Q expansion in the 't~Hooft model.Comment: 54 pages, 8 figures in the text. Version to be published in Phys. Rev. D. A number of typos are corrected and relevant references added. Clarifications in Conclusions, Appendices 2.1 and 3 are adde

Semileptonic B Decays and Determination of |Vub|

Semileptonic decays of the B mesons provide an excellent probe for the weak and strong interactions of the bottom quark. The large data samples collected at the B Factories have pushed the experimental studies of the semileptonic B decays to a new height and stimulated significant theoretical developments. I review recent progresses in this fast-evolving field, with an emphasis on the determination of the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |Vub|.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Mod. Phys. Lett.