New physics in the kinematic distributions of $\bar B\to D^{(*)}τ^-(\to\ell^-\barν_\ellν_τ)\barν_τ$

Abstract

We investigate the experimentally-accessible kinematic distributions of the $\bar B\to D^{(*)}τ^-(\to\ell^-\barν_\ellν_τ)\barν_τ$ decays. Specifically, we study the decay rates as functions of the $B\to D^{(*)}$ transferred squared momentum, the energy of the final charged lepton and the angle of its 3-momentum relative to the 3-momentum of the recoiling $D^{(*)}$. The angular distribution allows to introduce new observables, like a forward-backward asymmetry, which are complementary to the total rates. We present analytic formulas for the observable 3-fold 5-body differential decay rates, study the predictions in the Standard Model and investigate the effects in different new-physics scenarios that we characterize using an effective field theory framework.

Version corrected and submitted for publication. Analytic resolution of phase-space integrals explained in greater detail, typos corrected and references added. 14 pages, 3 tables 4 figs. Comments welcomed