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Semileptonic sum rules in heavy-to-light charm decays

Motoi Endo1,2, Syuhei Iguro3,4, Satoshi Mishima5, Takeru Uchiyama6, and Ryoutaro Watanabe7

Phys. Rev. D 114, 095004 – Published 2 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vdtw-k6fb

Abstract

We investigate semileptonic sum rules in heavy-to-light charm decays, motivated by analogous relations in b→c and b→u transitions. Focusing on the c→dℓ¯ν decays, D→πℓ¯ν, D→ρℓ¯ν, and Λc→nℓ¯ν, we examine a relation among their lepton-flavor universality ratios RHμe. Although the charm sum rule is less precise than the relations in bottom-hadron decays, current low-energy and high-pT constraints on new physics restrict the actual deviation from the relation to below the percent level. The relation can therefore provide a useful consistency check of charm semileptonic measurements. As an application, we derive a prediction for the yet-unmeasured ratio Rnμe in Λc→nℓ¯ν.

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