# The Role of Flavor in 2016

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how flavor physics can constrain new physics beyond the standard model, analyzing experimental tensions, future prospects, and theoretical limitations in probing short-distance phenomena.

## Contribution

It provides a theoretical overview of flavor physics's role in constraining new physics and discusses future experimental sensitivities and limitations.

## Key findings

- Tension in B -> D(*) tau nu decay rates suggests potential new physics.
- Future experiments may improve sensitivity to short-distance new physics.
- Theoretical considerations highlight possible ultimate limits of flavor physics probes.

## Abstract

This talk explores the role of flavor physics to constrain beyond standard model phenomena and future prospects, from a theoretical point of view. Possible implications of some experimental results in tension with the standard model are discussed, such as the 4 sigma deviation in the B -> D(*) tau nu decay rates. We use the examples of constraining new physics contributions to neutral meson mixing and the search for possible vector-like fermions to illustrate the expected progress over the next decade to increase the sensitivity to new physics at shorter distance scales. We also speculate about the ultimate limitations of (quark) flavor physics probes of new physics.