B->pi and B->K Transitions from QCD Sum Rules on the Light-Cone

Abstract

I calculate the form factors describing semileptonic and penguin-induced decays of B mesons into light pseudoscalar mesons. The form factors are calculated from QCD sum rules on the light-cone including contributions up to twist 4, radiative corrections to the leading twist contribution and SU(3)-breaking effects. The theoretical uncertainty is estimated to be \sim 15%. The heavy-quark-limit relations between semileptonic and penguin form factors are found to be valid in the full accessible range of momentum transfer.

Comments: 12 pages Latex plus three postscript figures; extended version including a discussion of the heavy quark limit and the effect of all-order pion distribution amplitudes