Semileptonic and radiative decays of the B_c meson in light-front quark model

Abstract: We investigate the exclusive semileptonic $B_c\to (D,\eta_c,B,B_s)\ell\nu_\ell$, $\eta_b\to B_c\ell\nu_\ell$($\ell=e,\mu,\tau$) decays using the light-front quark model constrained by the variational principle for the QCD motivated effective Hamiltonian. The form factors $f_+(q^2)$ and $f_-(q^2)$ are obtained from the analytic continuation method in the $q^+=0$ frame. While the form factor $f_+(q^2)$ is free from the zero-mode, the form factor $f_-(q^2)$ is not free from the zero-mode in the $q^+=0$ frame. We quantify the zero-mode contributions to $f_-(q^2)$ for various semileptonic $B_c$ decays. Using our effective method to relate the non-wave function vertex to the light-front valence wave function, we incorporate the zero-mode contribution as a convolution of zero-mode operator with the initial and final state wave functions. Our results are then compared to the available experimental data and the results from other theoretical approaches. Since the prediction on the magnetic dipole $B^*_c\to B_c+\gamma$ decay turns out to be very sensitive to the mass difference between $B^*_c$ and $B_c$ mesons, the decay width $\Gamma(B^*_c \to B_c \gamma)$ may help in determining the mass of $B^*_c$ experimentally. Furthermore, we compare the results from the harmonic oscillator potential and the linear potential and identify the decay processes that are sensitive to the choice of confining potential. From the future experimental data on these sensitive processes, one may obtain more realistic information on the potential between quark and antiquark in the heavy meson system.