Determination of the weak phase γ from rate measurements in B±→πK,ππ decays

A method is described which, under the assumption of SU(3) symmetry, allows one to determine the angle gamma = arg(V-ub*) of the unitarity triangle from time-independent measurements of the branching ratios for the rare two-body decays B+ --> pi(0)K(+) and B- --> pi(0)K(-), as well as of the CP-averaged branching ratios for the decays B+/- --> pi(+/-)K(0) and B+/- --> pi(+/-)pi(0), all of which are of order 10(-5). The effects of electroweak penguin operators are included in a model-independent way, and SU(3)-breaking corrections are accounted for in the factorization approximation. [S0031-9007(98)07845-4].