Test of time reversal invariance in K/sub. mu. 3/+ decays

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5835987

Blatt, S R

We have measured the transverse polarization of muons from the decay K/sup +/ ..-->.. ..pi../sup 0/..mu.. /sup +/ nu/sub ..mu../, in an experiment conducted at the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS. A violation of CP (or T) invariance in the K/sub ..mu..3/ decay produces a component of polarization normal to the decay plane. A 4 GeV non-separated positively charged beam was produced at zero degrees with respect to an external proton beam (energy 29.2 GeV) colliding on a platinum target. A cylindrically symmetric detector, consisting of scintillation counter hodoscopes, a focusing magnet-energy degrader, and a polarimeter, was used to detect and track the muon from the K/sub ..mu..3//sup +/ decay. We collected 20.8 million events and obtained for the mean value of the transverse polarization in the decay plane (CP conserving), P/sub t/ = 0.685 +- 0.016. For the CP violating component of polarization, normal to the decay plane, we find P/sub n/ = -0.0031 +- 0.0053. The parameter lm xi, with xi the ratio of the form factors in the K/sub ..mu..3/ decay, is found to be -0.016 +- 0.027, not significantly different from the CO conserving value of zero. The average value of the ratio of the normal to transverse components of the muon polarization in the kaon rest frame is phi =

/sub cms/ = -0.0063 +- 0.0108. Our null result places important constraints on models of CP violation involving the exchange of Higgs bosons.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5835987
• 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
ACCELERATORS
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
BOSONS
BROOKHAVEN AGS
CP INVARIANCE
CYCLIC ACCELERATORS
DATA
DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FERMIONS
FORM FACTORS
HADRONS
HIGGS BOSONS
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE BOSONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
KAONS
KAONS PLUS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MESONS
MUONS
MUONS PLUS
NEUTRINOS
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLE DECAY
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
POLARIZATION
POSTULATED PARTICLES
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
STRANGE PARTICLES
SYNCHROTRONS
T INVARIANCE
WEAK PARTICLE DECAY