The decays $B^{+}\to D_{s,d}^{+}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$ and $B^{+}\to D_{s,d}^{*+}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$ proceed through a weak and an electromagnetic interaction. This is a typical “long distance” process, usually difficult to compute systematically. We propose that over a large fraction of phase space a combination of operator product and heavy quark expansions effectively turns this process into one in which the weak and electromagnetic interactions occur through a local operator. Moreover, we use heavy quark spin symmetry to relate all the local operators that appear in leading order of the operator expansion to two basic ones. We use this operator expansion to estimate the decay rates for $B^{+}\to D_{s,d}^{\left(*\right)+}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$.

• Received 26 April 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.4947