Higgs hunting with B decays

TL;DR

This paper explores how B meson decays can be used to detect effects of Higgs bosons in supersymmetric models, providing new theoretical predictions and highlighting their potential in new physics searches.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ratio R for B -> D tau nu decays with small uncertainties and compares its sensitivity to other B decay channels in Higgs boson searches.

Findings

Predicted ratio R=0.31 +/- 0.02 in the Standard Model.

Calculated branching ratios for B -> D tau nu decays.

Highlighted the sensitivity of B -> D tau nu to charged Higgs effects.

Abstract

B physics is sensitive to the effects of Higgs bosons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, if the parameter tan beta is large. I briefly summarise the role of B -> mu+ mu- and B -> tau nu in the hunt for new Higgs effects and present new results on the decay B -> D tau nu: Using the analyticity properties of form factors one can predict the ratio R=Br(B -> D tau nu)/Br(B -> D l nu), l=e,mu, with small hadronic uncertainties. In the Standard Model one finds R= 0.31 +/- 0.02, Br(B^- -> D^0 tau^- anti-nu) = (0.71 +/- 0.09)% and Br(anti-B^0 -> D^+ tau^- anti-nu)= (0.66 +/- 0.08)%, if the vector form factor of the Heavy Flavor Averaging Group is used. B -> D tau nu is competitive with B -> tau nu in the search for effects of charged Higgs bosons. Especially sensitive to the latter is the differential distribution in the decay chain anti-B -> D anti-nu tau^-[->pi- nu].