Tensor-current contributions to B Anomalies

Abstract

Tensor-current operators, potentially generated by scalar leptoquarks in grand unified theories (GUTs), are among the plausible new physics (NP) candidates suggested by the anomalies observed in $B$-meson decays. As experimental data continue to accumulate, exploring this possibility remains timely and well motivated. In this work, we present a systematic analysis of representative tensor-current Wilson coefficients ($C_T, C_{T5}$) in $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ transitions. By incorporating contributions from the high-$q^2$ region, our framework fully exploits the available experimental data across the entire $q^2$ range. Within this setup, five distinct lepton-flavor-universal (LFU) scenarios are proposed and tested through global fits. Our results show that it is difficult to resolve the tension between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions using only $C_T$ and $C_{T5}$. Meanwhile, the significance of $\Delta C_9$ remains essentially unchanged, even in the presence of tensor contributions. In one representative scenario (S-III), we obtain $[C_9,C_{10}, C_T, C_{T5}] \simeq [-1.05,\,0.22,\,0.02,\,0.01]$, with a reduced chi-squared statistic $\tilde{\chi}^2 \equiv \chi^2_{\rm min}/{\rm d.o.f.} = 708.7/486 = 1.46$. Furthermore, we derive a stringent 95$\%$ C.L. constraint on tensor operators, $$ F(x,y)\Big|^{\text{S-I}}_{x=\Delta C_T,\,y=\Delta C_{T5}} = x^2 + 0.063\,xy + 0.989\,y^2 + 0.034\,x + 0.043\,y \leq 0.003, $$ which provides one of the strongest bounds to date on $C_T$ and $C_{T5}$.