Final state interactions for B => VV charmless decays

Abstract

We estimate final state interactions in the B-meson decays into two light vector mesons by the Regge model. We consider Pomeron exchange and charmed Regge trajectories that can relate intermediate charmed particles to the final state. The Regge poles have various helicity-flip residues, which allows a change from the longitudinal to transverse polarization. In this way a significant reduction of the longitudinal polarization fraction can be produced. In the factorization approximation we find agreement with recent data from the BaBar and Belle collaborations in the B => K* phi decay channel, as a result of an appropriate choice of semileptonic form factors and Regge exchanges. On the other hand, data for the K* rho decay channels appear more elusive. The soft effects discussed in the present paper are based on a model of Regge trajectories that is shown to reproduce correctly in the non-charmed case the Regge phenomenology of light mesons.