CP Violation and the Role of Electroweak Penguins in Nonleptonic B Decays

Abstract

The phenomenon of CP violation in the B system and strategies for extracting CKM phases are reviewed. We focus both on general aspects and on some recent developments including CP-violating asymmetries in Bd decays, the Bs system in light of a possible width difference ΔΓs, charged B decays, and SU(3) relations among certain transition amplitudes. In order to describe the relevant nonleptonic B decays, low energy effective Hamiltonians calculated beyond the leading logarithmic approximation are used. Special emphasis is given to the role of electroweak penguin operators in such transitions. These effects are analyzed both within a general framework and more specifically in view of the theoretical cleanliness of methods to determine CKM phases. Strategies for obtaining insights into the world of electroweak penguins are discussed.