Meson distribution amplitudes - applications to weak radiative B decays and B transition form factors

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This thesis examines the applications and determinations of meson light-cone distribution amplitudes. The investigation of such processes, in the context of B physics, provides one with a rich and extensive way of determining the Standard Model parameters of the CKM matrix, which are essential in describing CP violation, and searching for tell-tale signs of new physics beyond the Standard Model. We investigate the twist-2 and twist-3 distribution amplitudes of light vector mesons and fully examine SU(3)F-breaking effects and include leading G-parity violating terms. Numerical values of the leading non-perturbative hadronic parameters are determined from QCD sum rules. The distribution amplitude results find direct application in the radiative B decays to light vector mesons B → V γ. We examine the phenomenologically most important observables in this decay mode using the formalism of QCD factorisation. We also include long-distance photon emission and soft quark loop effects, which formally lie outside the QCD factorisation formalism. The analysis encompasses all the modes Bᵤ,d → ρ, ω, K* and Bₛ → ϕ, K*. We also calculate the B → transition form factor using QCD sum rules on the light-cone. We include the singlet contribution originating from the U(1)ₐ anomaly and bring the calculation consistently within the η- mixing framework.