Radiative decays of the B meson, B 2!X{sub s}[gamma], proceed via virtual flavor changing neutral current processes that are sensitive to contributions from high mass scales, either within the Standard Model of electroweak interactions or beyond. In the Standard Model, these transitions are sensitive to the weak interactions of the top quark, and relatively robust predictions of the inclusive decay rate exist. Significant deviation from these predictions could be interpreted as indications for processes not included in the minimal Standard Model, like interactions of charged Higgs or SUSY particles. The analysis of the inclusive photon spectrum from B 2!X{sub s}[gamma] decays is rather challenging due to high backgrounds from photons emitted in the decay of mesons in B decays as well as ee− annihilation to low mass quark and lepton pairs. Based on 88.5 million B{bar B} events collected by the BABAR detector, the photon spectrum above 1.9 GeV is presented. By comparison of the first and second moments of the photon spectrum with QCD predictions (calculated in the kinetic scheme), QCD parameters describing the bound state of the b quark in the B meson are extracted: m{sub b} = (4.45 ± 0.16) GeV/c2; [mu]{sub {pi}}2 = (0.65 ± 0.29) GeV2. These parameters are useful input to non-perturbative QCD corrections to the semileptonic B decay rate and the determination of the CKM parameter.

The b [yields] s[gamma] decay represents a possible electromagnetic ''loop'' penguin decay of the B meson. This FCNC process is of high theoretical interest because various scenarios of new physics are expected to have contributions at the same (one loop) level as the Standard Model. The large sample of B[bar B] meson decays collected by the BaBar experiment makes a precision measurement of this rare decay possible. In conjunction with Standard Model predictions at the 10% level, it brings new physics effects into the realm of detection--or seriously constrains models that could predict them. A fully inclusive technique is presented to study the b [yields] s[gamma] transition as a function of photon energy, using 88.5 [+-] 1.0 x 10[sup 6] B[bar B] meson decays collected by the BaBar experiment in the years 2000 to 2002. The expected statistical and systematic uncertainties have been fully determined which enables first comparisons with theoretical predictions and other experimental results. It also lays the basis for the determination of the inclusive branching fraction [Beta](B [yields] X[sub s][gamma]) and the measurement of the photon energy spectrum.

The presence of a light[tilde b] squark (m[sub[tilde b]][approx] 4 GeV) and gluino (m[sub[tilde g]][approx] 15 GeV) might explain the observed excess in b-quark production at the Tevatron. Though provocative, this model is not excluded by present data. The light supersymmetric particles can induce large flavor-changing effects in radiative decays of B mesons. We analyze the decays B[yields] X[sub s][gamma] and B[yields] X[sub sg] in this scenario and derive restrictive bounds on the flavor-changing quark-squark-gluino couplings.