Eur. Phys. J. C (2026) 86: 363
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-026-15484-8

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Systematic analysis of $D_{(s)}$ meson semi-leptonic decays in the covariant light-front quark model

School of Physics and Advanced Energy, Henan University of Technology, 450052, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

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Received: 16 October 2025
Accepted: 22 February 2026
Published online: 8 April 2026

Abstract

The weak decays of the $D_{(s)}$ meson provide a pivotal platform to advance our understanding of the Standard Model (SM) and to explore New Physics (NP). In recent years, experiments have collected a significant amount of data on the $D_{(s)}$ meson decays, particularly from BESIII, which provides substantial support for theoretical research. In this work, we systematically investigate the semi-leptonic decays of $D_{(s)}$ meson to pseudoscalar (P), scalar (S), vector (V), and axial-vector (A) mesons within the framework of the covariant light-front quark model (CLFQM). We calculate the form factors of the transitions $D_{(s)}\to P,S,V,A$ and the branching ratios of the corresponding semi-leptonic decays, then compare them with experimental data and results from other theoretical models. The form factor values of the transitions $D_{(s)}\to P,V$ obtained from the CLFQM are consistent with those of other theoretical models and available data in most cases. However, significant discrepancies are found in some specific $D_{(s)}\to S,A$ transitions, such as $D\to a_0(980),a_0(1450)$ and $D_{(s)}\to K_{1B}$, compared to other theoretical calculations. The predicted branching ratios for the semi-leptonic decays $D\to P(V)\ell {\nu }_{\ell }$ with $\ell =e,\mu$ agree well with experimental data and other theoretical results in most decay channels, validating the reliability of the model. However, for some $D\to S(V)\ell {\nu }_{\ell }$ decays, tension exists among different theoretical predictions and experimental results. Further clarification of such differences is necessary. Our study provides important insights into the internal structures for some scalar and axial-vector mesons and serves as a theoretical reference for future experiments.