Covariant Light-Front Approach for $B_c$ transition form factors

Abstract

In the covariant light-front quark model, we investigate the form factors of $B_c$ decays into $D, D^*, D_s, D_s^*, η_c, J/ψ, B, B^*, B_s, B_s^*$ mesons. The form factors in the spacelike region $q^2<0$ are directly evaluated. To extrapolate the form factors to the full kinematic region, we fit the form factors by adopting a three-parameter form from the spacelike region. $b\to u,d,s$ transition form factors at maximally recoiling point ($q^2=0$) are smaller than $b\to c$ and $c\to d,s$ transition form factors, while the $b\to d,s,c$ form factors at zero recoiling point are close to each other. In the fitting procedure, we find the parameters for the form factors $A_2(B_c\to B^*)$ and $A_2(B_c\to B^*_s)$ strongly depend on the decay constants of $B^*$ and $B_s^*$ mesons. Fortunately, the semileptonic and nonleptonic $B_c$ decays are not sensitive to these form factors. With the form factors, we also investigate the branching fractions, polarizations of the semileptonic $B_c\to Mlν$ decays. Semileptonic $B_c\to (η_c,J/ψ)lν$ and $B_c\to (B_s,B_s^*)lν$ decays have much larger branching fractions than $B_c\to (D,D^*,B,B^*)lν$. In the three kinds of $B_c\to Vlν$ decays, contributions from the longitudinal polarized vector is comparable with those from the transversely polarized vector. These predictions will be tested at the ongoing and forthcoming hadron colliders.

15 pages, 1 figure, uncertainties reanalyzed, several parts reorganized, conclusions unchanged