Factorizable c(c)over-bar contribution to the radiative B -> K*gamma decay

The sum of the factorizable long- and short-distance c (c) over bar contrib utions to the B --> K*gamma amplitude vanishes as a consequence of the gaug e invariance. Moreover, the short- and long-distance contributions vanish, separately, if defined in a gauge-invariant way. In view of this, we disput e a popular estimate of the long-distance effects in the B --> K*gamma deca y in terms of the B --> K* semileptonic form factors and the decay constant s of the c (c) over bar resonances. We show that a nonzero value obtained w ithin this approach is an artifact of using a gauge-dependent prescription for the resonance contribution extended to q(2) = 0. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scie nce B.V. All rights reserved.