Coulomb corrections in rare decays of neutral mesons with a final state pair
S. I. Manukhov and N. V. Nikitin
Phys. Rev. D 114, 053003 (2026) - Published 8 September, 2026
We present a systematic analysis of Coulomb corrections for leptonic (), semileptonic (, ) and radiative leptonic () decays of neutral -mesons. The relativization of the Coulomb factor was performed by comparing the Gamow-Sommerfeld-Sakharov factor, the exact relativistic approach of Crater-Alstine-Sazdjian applied by us to scalar systems, and well-known one-loop QED calculations. Coulomb corrections are calculated for differential, angular, and double-differential distributions, as well as for partial decay widths. We also discuss the role of the Coulomb factor among other QED corrections, in particular, the contribution of soft-photon radiation, which is effectively simulated in experiments by tools such as photos. For the channel, Coulomb corrections improve the prediction of the partial width to . This improvement brings the prediction closer to the LHCb/CMS experimental results within the current experimental (11%) and theoretical (5% lattice QCD) errors. In the decays and , Coulomb effects also reduce the discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental data (from to less than and from to respectively). Finally, for the decays involving -leptons, the Coulomb correction reaches 4%. While currently smaller than the dominant form-factor uncertainties and experimental errors, the Coulomb correction represents a non-negligible systematic effect. It should be accounted for in the high-precision era of -physics, where such effects may become significant for the interpretation of potential new physics signals.