Search for right-handed currents in muon decay

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.34.1967· OSTI ID:5146049

Jodidio, A; Balke, B; Carr, J; Gidal, G; Shinsky, K A; Steiner, H M; Stoker, D P; Strovink, M; Tripp, R D; Gobbi, B

Limits are reported on charged right-handed currents, based on precise measurement of the end-point e/sup +/ spectrum in ..mu../sup +/ decay. Highly polarized ..mu../sup +/ from a TRIUMF ''surface'' muon beam were stopped in pure metal foil and liquid-He targets selected to minimize depolarization effects. In the stopping target region either a spin-precessing transverse field (70 or 110 G) or a spin-holding longitudinal field (0.3 or 1.1 T) was applied. Data collected with the spin-precessing field were used for the momentum calibration of the spectrometer. The spin-held data were used to measure the relative e/sup +/ rate at the momentum end point in a direction opposite to the ..mu../sup +/ spin. In terms of the standard muon-decay parameters this rate is given by (1-xiP/sub ..mu../delta/rho) where P/sub ..mu../ is the muon polarization. The combined 90% confidence lower limit from the analysis presented in this paper and our earlier analysis of the spin-precessed data by means of the muon-spin-rotation (..mu..SR) technique is xiP/sub ..mu../delta/rho>0.9975. For models with manifest left-right symmetry and massless neutrinos this result implies the 90% confidence limits m(W/sub 2/)>432 GeV/c/sup 2/ and -0.050

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098; AC02-76ER02289
• OSTI ID: 5146049
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 34:7; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645102* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Weak Interactions & Properties
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BOSONS
BRANCHING RATIO
CURRENT ALGEBRA
DECAY
DEPOLARIZATION
EIGENSTATES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GAMOW-TELLER RULES
GASES
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
HADRONS
HELICITY
HELIUM
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONIC DECAY
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MESONS
MUONS
MUONS PLUS
NEUTRINOS
NONMETALS
PARTICLE DECAY
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PIONS
PIONS PLUS
POSITRONS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
RARE GASES
SPIN
SYMMETRY BREAKING
WEAK INTERACTIONS
WEAK PARTICLE DECAY