LAUSR

Abstract With updated experimental data and improved theoretical calculations, several significant deviations are being observed between the Standard Model predictions and the experimental measurements of the branching ratios of $$ {\overline{B}}_{(s)}^0\to {D}_{(s)}^{\left(\ast \right)+}{L}^{-} $$ B ¯ s 0 → D s ∗ + L − decays, where L is a light meson from the set {π, ρ, K(∗)}. Especially for the two channels $$ {\overline{B}}^0\to {D}^{+}{K}^{-} $$ B ¯ 0 → D + K − and $$ {\overline{B}}_s^0\to {D}_s^{+}{\pi}^{-} $$ B ¯ s 0 → D s + π − , both of which are free of the weak annihilation contribution, the deviations observed can even reach 4–5σ. Here we exploit possible new-physics effects in these class-I non-leptonic B-meson decays within the framework of QCD factorization. Firstly, we perform a model-independent analysis of the effects from twenty linearly independent four-quark operators that can contribute, either directly or through operator mixing, to the quark-level b →$$ c\overline{u}d(s) $$ c u ¯ d s transitions. It is found that, under the combined constraints from the current experimental data, the deviations observed could be well explained at the 1σ level by the new-physics four-quark operators with γμ(1 − γ5) ⨂ γμ(1 − γ5) structure, and also at the 2σ level by the operators with (1 + γ5) ⨂ (1 − γ5) and (1 + γ5) ⨂ (1 + γ5) structures. However, the new-physics four-quark operators with other Dirac structures fail to provide a consistent interpretation, even at the 2σ level. Then, as two specific examples of model-dependent considerations, we discuss the case where the new-physics four-quark operators are generated by either a colorless charged gauge boson or a colorless charged scalar, with their masses fixed both at the 1 TeV. Constraints on the effective coefficients describing the couplings of these mediators to the relevant quarks are obtained by fitting to the current experimental data.