D*decays: Do theory and experiment agree?

Abstract

We study the hadronic and radiative decays of $D^{*+}$ and $D^{*0\mathrm{}}$. Using SU(4) symmetry for the hadronic decays, we convert the branching ratios into total rates for $D^{*+}$ and $D^{*0\mathrm{}}$. We point out a potential problem with the ratio $\frac{\Gamma (D^{*+}\to D^{+}{\pi }^0)}{\Gamma (D^{*+}\to D^0{\pi }^{+})}$. Finally, using the measured branching ratios for radiative decays, we extract the "experimental" radiative rates. We find these radiative rates puzzling as they are difficult to understand in an SU(4) or broken-SU(4) scheme.