Decay rate asymmetry in $B \to X_s \gamma$ as a signature of supersymmetry

Abstract

In the supersymmetric standard model, the radiative $B$-meson decay $B \to X_s \gamma$ could receive a large contribution from a new source of flavor-changing neutral current, which also violates CP invariance. The CP-conjugate processes then may sizably differ in decay width. If a new CP-violating phase is not suppressed, this decay rate asymmetry can be significantly larger than the prediction by the standard model, possibly detectable at B factories. Such a large asymmetry may be implied by the measured branching ratio which is consistent with the standard model.