  As new experimental data arrive from the LHC the prospect of indirectly
detecting new physics through precision tests of the Standard Model grows more
exciting. Precise experimental and theoretical inputs are required to test the
unitarity of the CKM matrix and to search for new physics effects in rare
decays. Lattice QCD calculations of nonperturbative inputs have reached a
precision at the level of a few percent; in many cases aided by the use of
lattice perturbation theory. This review examines the role of lattice
perturbation theory in B physics calculations on the lattice in the context of
two questions: how is lattice perturbation theory used in the different heavy
quark formalisms implemented by the major lattice collaborations? And what role
does lattice perturbation theory play in determinations of nonperturbative
contributions to the physical processes at the heart of the search for new
physics? Framing and addressing these questions reveals that lattice
perturbation theory is a tool with a spectrum of applications in lattice B
physics.
