Heavy Quark Decays

TL;DR

This paper reviews the latest experimental results on heavy-quark decays, focusing on semileptonic B decays, CKM parameter determination, rare charmless B decays, and CP asymmetries, assessing their implications for the Standard Model.

Contribution

It provides an updated overview of experimental measurements and their impact on understanding heavy-quark decay processes and the Standard Model as of 1999.

Findings

New measurements of semileptonic B decays from LEP and CLEO

First observation of B->pi pi decay by CLEO

Initial measurements of CP asymmetries in rare B decays

Abstract

The status of heavy-quark decays as of summer 1999 is reviewed. New measurements of semileptonic B decays from LEP and from CLEO are reported and the status of determining the CKM parameters |Vcb| and |Vub| is assessed. Rare charmless hadronic B decays are reviewed, including the first observation of B->pi pi from CLEO. First attempts to measure CP asymmetries in rare decays are described. The implications of all of the data for our understanding of the Standard Model are briefly assessed.