Tensor-current contributions to B anomalies

Abstract Tensor-current operators, potentially generated by scalar leptoquarks in grand unified theories (GUTs), are among the plausible new physics (NP) candidates suggested by the anomalies observed in B -meson decays. As experimental data continue to accumulate, exploring this possibility remains timely and well motivated. In this work, we present a systematic analysis of representative tensor-current Wilson coefficients ( $$C_T, C_{T5}$$ C T , C T 5 ) in $$b \rightarrow s \ell ^+ \ell ^-$$ b → s ℓ + ℓ - transitions. By incorporating contributions from the high- $$q^2$$ q 2 region, our framework fully exploits the available experimental data across the entire $$q^2$$ q 2 range. Within this setup, five distinct lepton-flavor-universal (LFU) scenarios are proposed and tested through global fits. Our results show that it is difficult to resolve the tension between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions using only $$C_T$$ C T and $$C_{T5}$$ C T 5 . Meanwhile, the significance of $$\Delta C_9$$ Δ C 9 remains essentially unchanged, even in the presence of tensor contributions. In one representative scenario (S-III), we obtain $$[\Delta C_9,\Delta C_{10}, C_T, C_{T5}] \simeq [-1.00,\,0.22,\,0.01,\,0.01]$$ [ Δ C 9 , Δ C 10 , C T , C T 5 ] ≃ [ - 1.00 , 0.22 , 0.01 , 0.01 ] , with a reduced chi-squared statistic $$\tilde{\chi }^2 \equiv \chi ^2_\textrm{min}/\mathrm{d.o.f.} = 658.5/437 = 1.51$$ χ ~ 2 ≡ χ min 2 / d . o . f