BRANCHING RATIOS AND CP-VIOLATING ASYMMETRIES IN EXCLUSIVE CHARGED B-MESON DECAYS

Using perturbative methods, branching ratios and CP-violating rate asymmetries for some rare hadronic B meson decays are calculated. The decay of the heavy meson is modeled by the decay of the heavy quark and the exchange of a (fast) gluon with the spectator; the necessary phases are generated by perturbative (penguin) diagrams. The values of the rate asymmetries are of the order of 1.5% for B- --> K- pi-0 and 5% for B- --> K-K0. The effects of short distance QCD corrections are investigated. The analysis yields improved values for BR (B- --> pi-pi, pi-K, KK, pi-D, DD).