Form Factors and Decay Rates for Heavy $\Lambda$ Semileptonic Decays from QCD Sum Rules

QCD sum rules for the determination of form factors of $\Lambda_b$ and $\Lambda_c$ semileptonic decays are investigated. With a form for the baryonic current appropriate for the limits of the heavy quark symmetries, the different tensor structures occurring in the two- and three-point functions are separately studied, and in each case general relations are written for the form factors. Particular attention is given to the treatment of the kinematical region ascribed to the continuum. The $t$-dependence of the form factors and the decay rates are numerically evaluated and compared to experimental information.