Cabibbo suppressed decays and the ${\Xi }_c^{+}$ lifetime

Abstract

The problem of the ${\Xi }_c^{+}$ lifetime is considered in the framework of {\em Heavy-Quark Expansion} and $SU(3{)}_{flavor}$ symmetry. The lifetime of ${\Xi }_c^{+}$ is expressed in terms of measurable inclusive quantities of the other two charmed baryons belonging to the same $SU(3{)}_{flavor}$ multiplet in a model-independent way. In such a treatment, inclusive decay rates of singly Cabibbo suppressed decay modes have a prominent role. An analogous approach is applied to the multiplet of charmed mesons yielding interesting predictions on $D_s^{+}$ properties. The results obtained indicate that a more precise measurement of inclusive decay quantities of some charmed hadrons (such as ${\Lambda }_c^{+}$) that are more amenable to experiment can contribute significantly to our understanding of decay properties of other charmed hadrons (such as ${\Xi }_c^{+}$) where discrepancies or ambiguities exist.

Comments: 9 pages, revtex4; certain improvements in text as suggested by the referee, acknowledgement changed; version to appear in Phys. Rev. D