Electromagnetic radiative penguin decays of the B meson were studied with the BaBar detector at SLAC's PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory. Branching fractions and isospin asymmetry of the decay B → K*[gamma], branching fractions of B → K*2(1430)[gamma], and a search for B° → [phi][gamma] are presented. The decay rates may be enhanced by contributions from non-standard model processes.

Radiative and electroweak penguin decays of B mesons are flavor-changing-neutral-current processes that provide powerful ways to test the Standard Model at the one-loop level, to search for the effects of new physics, and to extract Standard Model parameters such as CKM matrix elements and quark masses. The large data samples obtained by the B-factory experiments BaBar and Belle, together with an intensive theoretical effort, have led to significant progress towards understanding these rare decays. Recent experimental results include the measurements of the b 2!d[gamma] decays B 2[gamma], the observation of B 2!K(*)ll− decays (together with studies of the associated kinematic distributions), and improved measurements of the inclusive B 2!Xs[gamma] rate and photon energy spectrum.

We report recent results in the study of rare hadronic and radiative penguin decays of B mesons. These results are based on a sample of 23 million BB pairs collected by the BaBar Collaboration at the SLAC PEP-II e+e- B Factory.

We summarize results on a number of observations of penguin dominated radiative decays of the B meson. Such decays are forbidden at tree level and proceed via electroweak loops. As such they may be sensitive to physics beyond the standard model. The observations have been made at the BaBar experiment at PEPII, the asymmetric B factory at SLAC.

In this article, I review the most recent results in radiative penguin decays from the B factories Belle and BABAR. Most notably, I will talk about the recent new observations in the decays B → ([rho]/[omega]) [gamma], a new analysis technique in b → s[gamma], and first measurements of radiative penguin decays in the B°{sub s} meson system. Finally, I will summarize the current status and future prospects of radiative penguin B physics at the B factories.

"The upper limit for the B0d→K*0g decay is consistent with the branching fraction measurement reported by the CLEO collaboration, B&parl0;B0d→K*0 g&parr0; = (4.0 +/- 1.9) x 10-5, while the upper limit for the as yet unobserved B0s→fg decay is the most constraining one set to date." --