THEORETICAL-ANALYSIS OF (B)OVER-BAR-]D-ASTERISK-ASTERISK-PI DECAYS

The decays (B) over bar-->D*pi, where D** is a narrow p-wave charm re sonance, are investigated in the context of a generalized factorizatio n hypothesis, including the leading nonfactorizable corrections. The d ecay rates for these processes are related to the corresponding semile ptonic rates at maximum recoil. It is pointed out that the current dat a on the branching ratio for the decay B--->D-2(0) pi(-) may pose a p roblem for theory. We predict that future, more accurate measurements of this branching ratio will find a value B(B--->D-2(0) pi(-))approxi mate to 4x10(-4), a factor 5 lower than the current central value. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.