Search for the rare decays B → πℓ^+ℓ^- and B^0 → ηℓ^+ℓ^-

Abstract

We present the results of a search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decays B → πℓ^+ ℓ^- (π = π^±, π^0 and ℓ = e, μ) and B^0 → ηℓ^+ ℓ^- using a sample of e^+ e^- → Υ(4S) → BB decays corresponding to 428  fb^(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the BABAR detector. No significant signal is observed, and we set an upper limit on the isospin and lepton-flavor averaged branching fraction of B(B → πℓ^+ ℓ^-)<5.9 × 10^(-8) and a lepton-flavor averaged upper limit of B(B0 → ηℓ^+ ℓ^-) < 6.4 × 10^(-8), both at the 90% confidence level. We also report 90% confidence level branching fraction upper limits for the individual modes B^+ → π^+ e^+ e^-, B^0 → π^0 e^+ e^-, B^+ → π^+ μ^+ μ^-, B^0 → π^0 μ^+ μ^-, B^0 → ηe^+ e^-, and B^0 → ημ^+ μ^-.

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