Model-agnostic likelihood for the reinterpretation of the B + → K + v v ¯ measurement at Belle II

Abstract

We recently measured the branching fraction of the B + → K + ν ν ¯ decay using 362 fb − 1 of on-resonance e + e − collision data under the assumption of Standard Model kinematics, providing the first evidence for this decay. To facilitate future reinterpretations and maximize the scientific impact of this measurement, we publicly release the full analysis likelihood along with all necessary material required for reinterpretation under arbitrary theoretical models sensitive to this measurement. In this work, we demonstrate how the measurement can be reinterpreted within the framework of the weak effective theory. Using a kinematic reweighting technique in combination with the published likelihood, we derive marginal posterior distributions for the Wilson coefficients, construct credible intervals, and assess the goodness of fit to the Belle II data. For the weak effective theory Wilson coefficients, the posterior mode of the magnitudes | C VL + C VR | , | C SL + C SR | , and | C TL | corresponds to the point (11.3, 0.0, 8.2). The respective 95% credible intervals are [1.9, 16.2], [0.0, 15.4], and [0.0, 11.2].