$B \to K^* \ell \ell$ Standard Model contributions -- Zooming in on high $q^2$

Abstract

To further precision studies with $B \to K^{(*)} \ell \ell$ decays in the high-$q^2$ window uncertainties related to the operator product expansion (OPE) need to be scrutinized. How well can the OPE describe $B \to K^* (\to K \pi) \ell \ell$ angular distributions for a given binning in view of the local charm resonance structure? We present a data-driven method to access this quantitatively. Our analysis suggests that the bins which are near the kinematic endpoint are best described by the OPE and should be pursued for precision studies. At the same time measurements with finer binning help controlling the uncertainties.