Final State Interactions in $K\to\pi\pi$ Decays: $\Delta I=1/2$ Rule vs.   $\varepsilon^\prime/\varepsilon$
  Dispersive effects from strong $\pi\pi$ rescattering in the final state (FSI) of weak $K\to\pi\pi$ decays are revisited with the goal to have a global view on their {\it relative} importance for the $\Delta I=1/2$ rule and the ratio $\varepsilon^\prime/\varepsilon$ in the Standard Model (SM). We point out that this goal cannot be reached within a pure effective (meson) field approach like chiral perturbation theory in which the dominant current-current operators governing the $\Delta I=1/2$ rule and the dominant density-density (four-quark) operators governing $\varepsilon^\prime/\varepsilon$ cannot be disentangled from each other. But in the context of a dual QCD approach, which includes both long distance dynamics and the UV completion, that is QCD at short distance scales, such a distinction is possible. We find then that beyond the strict large $N$ limit, $N$ being the number of colours, FSI are likely to be important for the $\Delta I=1/2$ rule but much less relevant for $\varepsilon^\prime/\varepsilon$. The latter finding diminishes significantly hopes that improved calculations of $\varepsilon^\prime/\varepsilon$ would bring its SM prediction to agree with the experimental data, opening thereby an arena for important new physics contributions to this ratio. 
Andrzej J. Buras and Jean-Marc Gerard
hep-ph hep-ex hep-lat