Exclusive Radiative Decays of B Mesons in QCD Factorization

We discuss exclusive radiative decays in QCD factorization within the Standard Model. In particular, we consider the decays B -> V gamma, with a vector meson K* or rho in the final state, and the double radiative modes B_s -> gamma gamma and B_d -> gamma gamma. At quark level, all these decays are governed by the flavour-changing neutral-current b -> s gamma or b -> d gamma transitions, which appear at the one-loop level in the Standard Model. Such processes allow us to study CP violation and the interplay of strong and electroweak interactions, to determine parameters of the CKM matrix, and to search for New Physics. The exclusive decays are experimentally better accessible, but pose more problems for the theoretical analysis. The heavy-quark limit m_b >> Lambda_QCD, however, allows to systematically separate perturbatively calculable hard scattering kernels from nonperturbative form factors and universal light-cone distribution amplitudes. For the B -> V gamma decays we evaluate the leading Lambda_QCD/m_b contributions complete to next-to-leading order in QCD, including also QCD penguin operators. The double radiative B -> gamma gamma decays are analyzed with leading-logarithmic accuracy. We predict branching ratios, CP and isospin asymmetries, and estimate U-spin breaking effects for B -> K* gamma and B -> rho gamma. For the B -> gamma gamma decays we give numerical results for branching ratios and CP asymmetries.