Measuring the CP angle beta in hadronic b->s penguin decays

Asymmetric e(+)e(-) colliders running on the Y(4S) (B factories) will much more readily measure CP-violating asymmetries in the decays of B-d(0) and B+/- mesons than in the decays of B-s(0) mesons. As such, they will seemingly not be able to probe new phases in [GRAPHICS] mixing, i.e. in b --> s transitions. However, by measuring the CP angle beta via b --> s hadronic penguin decays such as [GRAPHICS] and comparing its value to that obtained in [GRAPHICS] it is possible to detect the presence of new physics in the b --> s flavor-changing neutral current. Recent CLEO results are encouraging in this regard. They suggest that the branching ratio of the b --> s penguin decay B-d(0) --> eta'K-s is anomalously large, about 4 x 10(-5), which will make it much easier to search for new physics in b --> s transitions. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.