Search for the decay B 0 → γ γ using Belle and Belle II data
We report the result of a search for the rare decay B 0 → γ γ using a combined dataset of 753 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle experiment and 387 × 10 6 B B ¯ pairs collected by the Belle II experiment from decays of the ϒ ( 4 S ) resonance produced in e + e − collisions. A simultaneous fit to the Belle and Belle II data sets yields 11.0 − 5.5 + 6.5 signal events, corresponding to a 2.5 σ significance. We determine the branching fraction B ( B 0 → γ γ ) = ( 3.7 − 1.8 + 2.2 ( stat ) ± 0.5 ( syst ) ) × 10 − 8 and set a 90% credibility level upper limit of B ( B 0 → γ γ ) < 6.4 × 10 − 8 . Published by the American Physical Society 2024