New neutral heavy gauge bosons ($Z^\prime$) are predicted within many extensions of the Standard Model. While in case they couple to quarks the LHC bounds are very stringent, leptophilic $Z^\prime$ bosons (even with sizable couplings) can be much lighter and therefore lead to interesting quantum effects in precision observables (like $(g-2)_\mu$) and generate flavour violating decays of charged leptons. In particular, $\ell\to\ell^\prime\nu\bar\nu$ decays, anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons, $\ell\to\ell^\prime\gamma$ and $\ell\to3\ell^\prime$ decays place stringent limits on leptophilic $Z^\prime$ bosons. Furthermore, in case of mixing $Z^\prime$ with the SM $Z$, $Z$ pole observables are affected. In light of these many observables we perform a global fit to leptophilic $Z^\prime$ models with the main goal of finding the bounds for the $Z^\prime$ couplings to leptons. To this end we consider a number of scenarios for these couplings. While in generic scenarios correlations are weak, this changes once additional constraints on the couplings are imposed. In particular, if one considers an $L_\mu-L_\tau$ symmetry broken only by left-handed rotations, or considers the case of $\tau-\mu$ couplings only. In the latter setup, on can explain the $(g-2)_\mu$ anomaly and the hint for lepton flavour universality violation in $\tau\to\mu\nu\bar\nu/\tau\to e\nu\bar\nu$ without violating bounds from electroweak precision observables.

Andrzej J. Buras Andreas Crivellin Fiona Kirk Claudio Andrea Manzari Marc Montull

The simplest extension of the SM that generally introduces new sources of flavour and CP violation as well as right-handed currents is the addition of a U(1) gauge symmetry to the SM gauge group. If the corresponding heavy gauge boson Z' mediates FCNC processes in the quark sector at tree-level, these new physics contributions imply a pattern of deviations from SM expectations for FCNC processes depending only on Z' couplings to fermions and on its mass. This implies stringent correlations between Delta F=2 and Delta F=1 observables which govern the landscape of the allowed parameter space for Z'-models. Anticipating the Flavour Precision Era (FPE) ahead of us we illustrate this by searching for allowed oases in this landscape assuming significantly smaller uncertainties in CKM and hadronic parameters than presently available. To this end we analyze Delta F=2 observables in K^0-bar K^0 and B^0_{s,d}-bar B^0_{s,d} systems and rare K and B decays including both left-handed and right-handed Z'-couplings to quarks in various combinations. We identify a number of correlations between various flavour observables that could test and distinguish these different Z' scenarios. The important role of b->s l^+ l^- and b->s nu bar nu transitions in these studies is emphasized. Imposing the existing flavour constraints, a rich pattern of deviations from the SM expectations in B_{s,d} and K meson systems emerges provided M_Z'<3 TeV. While for M_Z'>5 TeV Z' effects in rare B_{s,d} decays are found typically below 10% and hard to measure even in the FPE, K->pi nu bar nu and K_L-> pi^0 l^+ l^- decays provide an important portal to scales beyond those explored by the LHC. We apply our formalism to NP scenarios with induced flavour changing neutral Z-couplings to quarks. We find that in the case of B_d and K decays, but not B_s decays, such Z-couplings still allow for sizable departures from the SM.

Andrzej J. Buras Fulvia De Fazio Jennifer Girrbach

We present a complete study of Delta S = 2 and Delta B = 2 processes in a warped extra dimensional model with a custodial protection of Z b_L bar b_L, including epsilon_K, Delta M_K, Delta M_s, Delta M_d, A^q_SL, Delta Gamma_q, A_CP(B_d -> psi K_S) and A_CP(B_s -> psi phi). These processes are affected by tree level contributions from Kaluza-Klein gluons, the heavy KK photon, new heavy electroweak gauge bosons Z_H and Z', and in principle by tree level Z contributions. We confirm recent findings that the fully anarchic approach where all the hierarchies in quark masses and weak mixing angles are geometrically explained seems implausible and we confirm that the KK mass scale M_KK generically has to be at least ~20TeV to satisfy the epsilon_K constraint. We point out, however, that there exist regions in parameter space with only modest fine-tuning in the 5D Yukawa couplings which satisfy all existing Delta F = 2 and electroweak precision constraints for scales M_KK ~3TeV in reach of the LHC. Simultaneously we find that A_CP(B_s -> psi phi) and A^s_SL can be much larger than in the SM as indicated by recent results from CDF and D0 data. We point out that for B_{d,s} physics Delta F = 2 observables the complex (Z_H,Z') can compete with KK gluons, while the tree level Z and KK photon contributions are very small. In particular we point out that the Z d^i_L bar d^j_L couplings are protected by the custodial symmetry. As a by-product we show the relation of the RS flavour model to the Froggatt-Nielsen mechanism and we provide analytic formulae for the effective flavour mixing matrices in terms of the fundamental 5D parameters.

Monika Blanke Andrzej J. Buras Bjoern Duling Stefania Gori Andreas Weiler

The experimental value for the isospin amplitude Re(A_2) in K->pi pi decays has been successfully explained within the Standard Model, both within large N approach to QCD and by QCD lattice calculations. On the other hand in both approaches the theoretical values of Re(A_0) are by at least 30% below the data so that the Delta I=1/2 rule in K->pi pi decays is not fully explained. While this deficit could be the result of present theoretical uncertainties in both approaches, it cannot be excluded that the missing piece in Re(A_0) comes from New Physics. We demonstrate that this deficit can be significantly softened by tree-level FCNC transitions mediated by a heavy colourless Z' gauge boson with particularly chosen flavour violating couplings assuring negligible NP contributions to Re(A_2) and significantly enhancing the contribution of the leading QCD penguin operator Q_6 to Re(A_0). A large fraction of the missing piece in the Delta I=1/2 rule can be explained in this manner for M_{Z'} in the reach of the LHC, while satisfying constraints from epsilon_K, epsilon'/epsilon, Delta M_K, LEP-II and the LHC. We identify quartic correlation between Z' contributions to Re(A_0), epsilon'/epsilon, epsilon_K and Delta M_K. We present correlations between epsilon'/epsilon and rare decays K->pi nu bar{nu} with and without the Delta I=1/2 rule constraint and generalize the whole analysis to Z' with colour (G') and Z with FCNC couplings. In the latter case no improvement on Re(A_0) can be achieved without destroying the agreement of the SM with the data on Re(A_2). Moreover, this scenario is very tightly constrained by epsilon'/epsilon. On the other hand in the context of the Delta I=1/2 rule G' is even more effective than Z': it provides the missing piece in Re(A_0) for M_{G'}=(3.5-4.0) TeV.

Andrzej J. Buras Fulvia De Fazio Jennifer Girrbach

Most of the existing analyses of FCNC processes in the 331 models, based on the gauge group SU(3)_C x SU(3)_L x U(1)_X, take only into account tree-level exchanges of a new heavy neutral gauge boson Z'. However due to the Z-Z' mixing also corresponding contributions from Z boson are present that are usually neglected. We calculate the impact of these contributions on Delta F=2 processes and rare K, B_s and B_d decays for different values of a parameter beta, which distinguishes between various 331 models and for different fermion representations under the SU(3)_L group. We find a general expression for the Z-Z' mixing in terms beta, M_Z, M_Z' and tan(bar{beta}), familiar from 2 Higgs Doublet models, that differs from the one quoted in the literature. We study in particular the models with beta=+-n/sqrt{3} with n=1,2 which have recently been investigated by us in the context of new data on B_{s,d}->mu^+ mu^- and B_d->K^*(K)mu^+ mu^-. We find that these new contributions can indeed be neglected in the case of Delta F=2 transitions and decays, like B_d->K^*mu^+mu^-, where they are suppressed by the small vectorial Z coupling to charged leptons. However the contributions of tree-level Z exchanges to decays sensitive to axial-vector couplings, like B_{s,d}->mu^+ mu^- and B_d->K mu^+ mu^-, and those with neutrinos in the final state, like b->s nu bar{nu} transitions, K^+->pi^+ nu bar{nu} and K_L->pi^0 nu bar{nu} cannot be generally neglected with size of Z contributions depending on beta, tan(bar{beta}) and M_Z'. We analyze for the first time the ratio epsilon'/epsilon in these models including both Z' and Z contributions. Our analysis of electroweak precision observables within 331 models demonstrates transparently that the interplay of NP effects in electroweak precision observables and those in flavour observables could allow in the future to identify the favourite 331 model.

Andrzej J. Buras Fulvia De Fazio Jennifer Girrbach-Noe

We analyze rare kaon decays in models in which the dominant new effect is an enhanced $\bar s d Z$ vertex $Z_{ds}$. We point out that in spite of large theoretical uncertainties the CP-violating ratio $\epsilon^\prime/\epsilon$ provides at present the strongest constraint on $\Im Z_{ds}$. Assuming $0 \le \epsilon^\prime/\epsilon \le 2 \cdot 10^{-3}$ and Standard Model values for the CKM parameters we obtain the bounds ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar \nu) \le 2.4 \cdot 10^{-10}$ and ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^-) \le 3.6 \cdot 10^{-11}$ (which are substantially stronger than the bounds found recently by Colangelo and Isidori, using $\epsilon$ instead of $\epsilon^\prime/\epsilon$). We illustrate how these bounds can be improved with the help of the forthcoming data on $\epsilon^\prime/\epsilon$. Using the bound on $\Re Z_{ds}$ from $K_L \to \mu^+ \mu^-$ we find ${\rm BR}(K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu) \le 2.3 \cdot 10^{-10}$. In this context we derive an analytic upper bound on ${\rm BR}(K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu)$ as a function of ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar \nu)$ and the short distance contribution to ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \mu^+ \mu^-)$. We also discuss new physics scenarios in which in addition to an enhanced $\bar s d Z$ vertex also neutral meson mixing receives important new contributions. In this case larger values of the branching ratios in question cannot be excluded.

Andrzej J. Buras Luca Silvestrini

We analyze the rare kaon decays $K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar \nu$, $K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu$, $K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^-$ and $K_L \to \mu^+ \mu^-$ in conjunction with the CP violating ratio $\epsilon'/\epsilon$ in a general class of supersymmetric models in which $Z$- and magnetic-penguin contributions can be substantially larger than in the Standard Model. We point out that radiative effects relate the double left-right mass insertion to the single left-left one, and that the phenomenological constraints on the latter reflect into a stringent bound on the supersymmetric contribution to the $Z$ penguin. Using this bound, and those coming from recent data on $\epsilon'/\epsilon$ we find ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \bar \nu)\lsim 1.2\cdot 10^{-10}$, ${\rm BR}(K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu)\lsim 1.7\cdot 10^{-10}$, ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^-)_{\rm dir}\lsim 2.0\cdot 10^{-11}$, assuming the usual determination of the CKM parameters and neglecting the possibility of cancellations among different supersymmetric effects in $\epsilon'/\epsilon$. Larger values are possible, in principle, but rather unlikely. We stress the importance of a measurement of these three branching ratios, together with improved data and improved theory of $\epsilon'/\epsilon$, in order to shed light on the realization of various supersymmetric scenarios. We reemphasize that the most natural enhancement of $\epsilon'/\epsilon$, within supersymmetric models, comes from chromomagnetic penguins and show that in this case sizable enhancements of $BR(K_L \to \pi^0 e^+ e^-)_{\rm dir}$ can also be expected.

A. J. Buras G. Colangelo G. Isidori A. Romanino L. Silvestrini

The branching ratio of the rare decay B->X_s gamma provides potentially strong constraints on models beyond the Standard Model. Considering a general scenario with new heavy neutral gauge bosons, present in particular in Z' and gauge flavour models, we point out two new contributions to the B->X_s gamma decay. The first one originates from one-loop diagrams mediated by gauge bosons and heavy exotic quarks with electric charge -1/3. The second contribution stems from the QCD mixing of neutral current-current operators generated by heavy neutral gauge bosons and the dipole operators responsible for the B->X_s gamma decay. The latter mixing is calculated here for the first time. We discuss general sum rules which have to be satisfied in any model of this type. We emphasise that the neutral gauge bosons in question could also significantly affect other fermion radiative decays as well as non-leptonic two-body B decays, epsilon'/epsilon, anomalous (g-2)_mu and electric dipole moments.

Andrzej J. Buras Luca Merlo Emmanuel Stamou

We discuss Yukawa-enhanced contributions from $Z$-mediated new physics to down-type quark $\Delta F=2$ processes in the framework of the standard model gauge-invariant effective theory (SMEFT). Besides the renormalization group (RG) mixing of the $Z$-mediating $\psi^2 H^2 D$ operators into $\Delta F = 2$ operators, we include at the electroweak scale one-loop (NLO) matching corrections consistently, necessary for the removal of the matching scale dependence. We point out that the right-handed $Z$-mediated interactions generate through Yukawa RG mixing $\Delta F=2$ left-right operators, which are further enhanced through QCD RG effects and chirally enhanced hadronic matrix elements. We investigate the impact of these new effects on the known correlations between $\Delta F=2$ and $\Delta F=1$ transitions in the SMEFT framework and point out qualitative differences to previous parameterizations of $Z$-mediated new physics that arise for the left-handed case. We illustrate how specific models fit into our model-independent framework by using four models with vector-like quarks. We carry out model-independent analyses of scenarios with purely left-handed and purely right-handed new-physics $Z$ couplings for each of the three sectors $s\to d$, $b\to s$ and $b\to d$. Specifically we discuss the correlations between $\varepsilon'/\varepsilon$, $\varepsilon_K$, $K_L\to \mu^+\mu^-$ $K^+\to \pi^+\nu\bar\nu$ and $K_L\to\pi^0\nu\bar\nu$ in the Kaon sector, and $\phi_s$, $B_s\to\mu^+\mu^-$ and $B\to K^{(*)} (\mu^+\mu^-, \nu\bar\nu)$ in the $b\to s$ sector and $B_d\to\mu^+\mu^-$ in the $b\to d$ sector.

Christoph Bobeth Andrzej J. Buras Alejandro Celis Martin Jung

We review several aspects of the recent theoretical progress in K and B decays including the impact of the top quark discovery on rare and CP violating decays. In particular we summarize the present status of next-to-leading QCD calculations in this field stressing their importance in the determination of the parameters in the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix.

Andrzej J. Buras