$\bar B\to\bar K\e^+\e^-$ in Chiral Perturbation Theory

Abstract

The combined use of chiral $SU(3)$ and heavy quark symmetries allows one to relate the hadronic form factors for the decay $\bar B\to \bar K\e^+\e^-$ to those for $\bar B\to\pi\e^-\bar\nu$. We investigate departures from the symmetry limit which arise from chiral symmetry breaking. The analysis uses chiral perturbation theory and the heavy quark limit to compute the relevant hadronic matrix elements. We estimate the size of $SU(3)$ corrections by computing, at one loop order, the leading nonanalytic dependence on the light quark masses. The calculation is trustworthy only in the portion of the Dalitz plot in which the momentum of the kaon or pion is small. We find the corrections to be~$\sim40\%$.