Revisiting $B_{c}^-\to J/ψ(η_c) L^-$ decays within the SM and beyond in QCD factorization

Abstract: Motivated by the deviations observed between the experimental measurements and the SM predictions of the branching ratios $\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}s^0\to D_s^+ \pi^-)$ and $\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}_d^0\to D^+ K^-)$, we revisit the $B{c}^{-}\to J/\psi(\eta_{c}) L^{-}$ decays, with $L=\pi, K^{(*)}, \rho$, both within the SM and beyond. Firstly, we update the SM predictions by including the nonfactorizable vertex corrections up to NNLO in $\alpha_s$, within the QCD factorization approach. It is found that, compared to the LO results, the branching ratios of these decays are always enhanced by the NLO and NNLO corrections, with an amount of about $6\%$ and $9\%$, respectively. To minimize the uncertainties brought by $V_{cb}$ and the $B_{c}\to J/\psi(\eta_c)$ form factors, we construct the ratios of the nonleptonic decay rates with respect to the corresponding differential semileptonic decay rates evaluated at $q^2=m_L^2$ (for $R_{J/\psi(\eta_{c}) L}$ and $R_{(s)L}^{(\ast)}$) or integrated over the whole $q^2$ range (for $R_{\pi/\mu\nu_{\mu}}$), which are then used to constrain the NP coefficients. After considering the latest Belle data on $\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}^0\to D^{(*)+} \pi(K)^{-})$ and the updated fitting results of $B_{(s)}\to D_{(s)}^{(*)}$ form factors, we find that the deviations can still be explained by the NP four-quark operators with $(1+\gamma_{5}) \otimes (1\pm\gamma_{5})$ structures, while the solution with $\gamma^\mu (1+\gamma_{5}) \otimes \gamma_\mu (1-\gamma_{5})$ structure does not work anymore, under the combined constraints from $R_{(s)L}^{(\ast)}$ at the $2\sigma$ level. Furthermore, the ratio $R_{\pi/\mu\nu_{\mu}}$, once measured precisely, can provide complementary constraint on these NP coefficients. With the large $B_c$ events expected at the LHC, more precise measurements of these observables can be exploited to discriminate these different NP scenarios.