Charming penguins strike back

By using the recent experimental measurements of B→ππ and B→Kπ branching ratios, we find that factorization is unable to reproduce the observed BRs even taking into account the uncertainties of the input parameters. Charming and GIM penguins allow to reconcile the theoretical predictions with the data. Because of these large effects, we conclude, however, that it is not possible, with the present theoretical and experimental accuracy, to determine the CP violation angle γ from these decays. Contrary to factorization, we predict large asymmetries for several of the particle–antiparticle BRs, in particular BR(B+→K+π0), BR(Bd→K+π−) and BR(Bd→π+π−). This opens new perspectives for the study of CP violation in B systems.