Phenomenology of muon number violation in spontaneously broken gauge theories

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5382465

Shanker, O U

The phenomenology of muon number violation in gauge theories of weak and electromagnetic interactions is studied. In the first chapter a brief introduction to the concept of muon number and to spontaneously broken gauge theories is given. A review of the phenomenology and experimental situation regarding different muon number violating processes is made in the second chapter. A detailed phenomenological study of the ..mu..e conversion process ..mu../sup -/ + (A,Z) ..-->.. e/sup -/ + (A,Z) is given in the third chapter. In the fourth chapter some specific gauge theories incorporating spontaneously broken horizontal gauge symmetries between different fermion generations are discussed with special reference to muon number violation in the theories. The ..mu..e conversion process seems to be a good process to search for muon number violation if it occurs. The K/sub L/-K/sub S/ mass difference is likely to constrain muon number violating rates to lie far below present experimental limits unless strangeness changing neutral currents changing strangeness by two units are suppressed.

• Research Organization: Carnegie-Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5382465
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645101 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Electromagnetic Interactions & Properties
645102 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Weak Interactions & Properties
645302 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries-- Applications to Electromagnetic & Weak Interactions-- (-1987)
645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ALGEBRAIC CURRENTS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BOSONS
CONSERVATION LAWS
CURRENTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
INTERACTIONS
KAONS
LEPTON NUMBER
LEPTONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MESONS
MUON NUMBER
MUONS
NEUTRAL CURRENTS
PARTICLE MODELS
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
STRANGE PARTICLES
SYMMETRY BREAKING
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
WEAK INTERACTIONS