Constraints on Higher-Order Perturbative Corrections in $b\to u$ Semileptonic Decays from Residual Renormalization-Scale Dependence

Abstract

The constraint of a progressive decrease in residual renormalization scale dependence with increasing loop order is developed as a method for obtaining bounds on unknown higher-order perturbative corrections to renormalization-group invariant quantities. This technique is applied to the inclusive semileptonic process $b\to u{\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }{\ell }^{-}$ (explicitly known to two-loop order) to obtain bounds on the three- and four-loop perturbative coefficients that are not accessible via the renormalization group. Using the principle of minimal sensitivity, an estimate is obtained for the perturbative contributions to $\Gamma (b\to u{\bar{\nu }}_{\ell }{\ell }^{-})$ that incorporates theoretical uncertainty from as-yet-undetermined higher order QCD corrections.

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