B032 $\bar{B}\to \pi\bar{K}$
$\bar{B} \to \pi \bar{K}$ nonleptonic charmless Status REVIEWED VERIFIED High Code: NO Priority Low
Why this constrains the RS scan
\(\bar B\to\pi\bar K\) is a \(b\to s\) charmless penguin system with tree,
QCD-penguin, and electroweak-penguin amplitudes. Anarchic RS models can
induce nonstandard \(b\to s\) flavor-changing \(Z\), dipole, or four-quark
operators after KK matching. This process is therefore a diagnostic of
penguin flavor structure that is complementary to the existing neutral-meson
\(\Delta F=2\) constraints, but it is not a clean tree-level bound by itself.
What's changed since the original paper
Since the arXiv:0804.1954 RS-flavor benchmark era, the main changes are
experimental. Belle and BaBar final samples were folded into HFLAV, LHCb
measured \(A_{CP}(B^+\to K^+\pi^0)=0.025\pm0.015\pm0.006\pm0.003\) and
explicitly sharpened the charged--neutral \(K\pi\) direct-asymmetry puzzle,
under source key
lhcb2021\_bplus\_kplus\_pi0\_acp, and Belle II
added 2024 measurements of all four \(K\pi\) branching fractions and direct
asymmetries under belleii2024\_btokpi. Belle II also measured
\(B^0\to K_S^0\pi^0\)
time-dependent CP in 2023, providing the largest modern input to the
PDG/HFLAV \(S_{K^0\pi^0}\) average. The Belle II \(K\pi\) sum-rule test,
\(-0.03\pm0.13\pm0.04\), is currently consistent with the SM expectation
(belleii2024\_btokpi).Validity and model dependence
This is an experimentally mature but SM-theory-limited nonleptonic constraint.
Branching fractions and CP asymmetries are easy to catalog, while interpreting
them as RS exclusions requires a hadronic amplitude framework, electroweak
penguin conventions, strong phases, and correlated treatment of the four
isospin-related modes. It should be treated as a model-dependent penguin
diagnostic until a dedicated likelihood or conservative amplitude scan exists.
Code coverage in this repo
NO. A focused grep for \(B\to K\pi\), charmless, nonleptonic, and
electroweak-penguin strings across
quarkConstraints/, qcd/,
flavorConstraints/, neutrinos/, yukawa/,
warpConfig/, solvers/, scanParams/, and
tests/ found no implementation. The modern policy surface lists only
\(\epsilon_K\), \(K\), \(B_d\), \(B_s\), and \(D^0\) at
quarkConstraints/modern/phenomenology.py:23; its notes say this is a
policy-only fence with no numeric EFT backend at
quarkConstraints/modern/phenomenology.py:165. The implemented
default inputs in quarkConstraints/deltaf2.py:209 are neutral-meson
\(\Delta F=2\) systems only, and the dipole code found at
flavorConstraints/muToEGamma.py:75 is the lepton \(\mu\to e\gamma\)
constraint.
Linked evidence (opens GitHub blob at flavor-catalog-website/2026q2):
- Focused B032/B->Kpi/charmless/nonleptonic/electroweak-penguin grep across implementation and test directories returned exit=1.
- quarkConstraints/modern/phenomenology.py:23 enumerates only epsilon_K, K, B_d, B_s, and D0 in the modern policy surface.
- quarkConstraints/modern/phenomenology.py:165 says the modern surface is policy-only and has no numeric EFT backend.
- quarkConstraints/deltaf2.py:209 begins the default Delta F = 2 input tuple for epsilon_K, B_d, B_s, and D mixing only.
- flavorConstraints/muToEGamma.py:75 implements the lepton mu->e gamma dipole check, not a quark nonleptonic penguin observable.
Implementation difficulty
HIGH. A production constraint would need a new nonleptonic
\(b\to s\bar q q\) operator/amplitude layer, electroweak-penguin matching,
hadronic strong-phase treatment, and a correlated four-mode likelihood or
conservative theory envelope. The existing \(\Delta F=2\) SLL/SLR/VLL/VRR
basis does not cover this calculation.
Reason: Requires a new nonleptonic $b \to s$ qbar q amplitude/likelihood layer with electroweak-penguin matching, hadronic strong phases, and correlated four-mode treatment; the existing $\Delta F = 2$ basis does not cover $B \to \pi$ K.
Key references
Process-local raw reference keys before bibliography consolidation:
hflav\_dec2025\_btopik,
pdg2025\_k0pi0\_time\_dependent\_cp\_api,
belleii2024\_btokpi,
lhcb2021\_bplus\_kplus\_pi0\_acp,
belleii2023\_b0\_ks\_pi0\_cp, and
cfw2008\_rs\_flavor.