Can FCNC transition $c\to ul^+l^-$ be seen in $D\to Vl^+l^-$ decays?

Abstract

The decays $D\to Vl^+l^-$ present in principle the opportunity to observe the short distance FCNC transition $c\to ul^+l^-$, which is sensitive to the physics beyond the Standard Model. We analyze the $D \to V l^+ l^- $ decays within the Standard Model, where in addition to the short distance dynamics also the long distance dynamics is present. The short distance contribution due to $c\to ul^+l^-$ transition, which is present only in the Cabibbo suppressed decays, is found to be three orders of magnitude smaller than the long distance contribution. The branching ratios well above $10^{-7}$ for Cabibbo suppressed decays could signal new physics. The most frequent decays are the Cabibbo allowed decays $D_s^+\to\rho^+\mu^+\mu^-$ and $D^0\to\bar K^{*0}\mu^+\mu^-$, which are expected at the branching ratios of $3\cdot 10^{-5}$ and $1.7\cdot 10^{-6}$, respectively. These rates are not much lower than the present experimental upper limit.