Interference Effects in B-Decays to Flavor-Mixed Neutral Mesons - Clues to Small Amplitudes and CP-Violation

Abstract

CP violation can be observed in B decays when a given process depends upon interference between two weak amplitudes which have different $CP$-violating phases. Since most weak decay diagrams have quark lines where each has a definite flavor label, neutral mesons which are flavor mixtures are particularly interesting. Different diagrams can contribute to the different flavor components of the meson, and the wave function itself provides interference.