B decay and the Upsilon mass

Abstract

Theoretical predictions for inclusive semileptonic B decay rates are rewritten in terms of the Upsilon(1S) meson mass instead of the b quark mass, using a modified perturbation expansion. This method gives theoretically consistent and phenomenologically useful results. Perturbation theory is well behaved, and the largest theoretical error in the predictions coming from the uncertainty in the quark mass is eliminated. The results are applied to the determination of $|V_{cb}|$, $|V_{ub}|$, and $\lambda_1$.