QCD factorization for B→PP and B→PV decays

A comprehensive study of exclusive hadronic B-meson decays into final states containing two pseudoscalar mesons (PP) or a pseudoscalar and a vector meson (PV) is presented. The decay amplitudes are calculated at leading power in Lambda(QCD)/m(b) and at next-to-leading order in alpha(S), using the QCD factorization approach. The calculation of the relevant hard-scattering kernels is completed. Important classes of power corrections, including chirally-enhanced terms and weak annihilation contributions, are estimated and included in the phenomenological analysis. Predictions are presented for the branching ratios of the complete set of the 96 decays of B-, (B) over bar (0), and (B) over bar (S), mesons into P P and P V final states, and for most of the corresponding CP asymmetries. Several decays and observables of particular phenomenological interest are discussed in detail, including the magnitudes of the penguin amplitudes in P P and P V final states, an analysis of the pirho system, and the time-dependent CP asymmetry in the Kphi and Keta' final states. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.