We present a search for $B$ decays to a charged scalar meson $a_0^{+}$ and a ${\pi }^0$ where the $a_0^{+}$ decays to an $\eta$ meson and a ${\pi }^{+}$. The analysis was performed on a data sample consisting of $383\times {10}^6$ $B\overline{B}$ pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy $B$ Factory at SLAC. We find no significant signal and set an upper limit on the product branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(B^{+}\to a_0^{+}{\pi }^0)\times \mathcal{B}(a_0^{+}\to \eta {\pi }^{+})$ of $1.4\times {10}^{-6}$ at the 90% confidence level.

• Received 9 August 2007
• Publisher error corrected 31 January 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.77.011101