Study of inclusive muon production in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation in the center of mass energy range 12 to 31. 6 GeV

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

OSTI ID:6246030

Lau, K H

This dissertation describes an experiment which measured the inclusive production of muons with momenta greater than 1.6 GeV/c in multihadron events in e/sup +/e/sup -/ interactions in the center of mass energy range 12.0 to 31.6 GeV. The experiment was performed at the positron-electron storage ring PETRA at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Lab in Hamburg, West Germany. The apparatus used was the PLUTO detector which is a general-purpose magnetic detector with essentially complete coverage for charged particles, photons and leptons. Muon identification was achieved by an approximately one meter thick mostly steel absorber, with arrays of planar drift chambers outside the absorber to detect penetrating particles. In the center of mass energy range 12.0 to 31.6 GeV, the measured inclusive muon production cross section is found to be consistent with a source of muons coming from semi-muonic decay of charm and bottom mesons produced in e/sup +/e/sup -/ annihilation. The larger muon production cross section expected from production and semi-muonic decay of top mesons in the standard model is not observed. The momentum spectrum of the muons was also measured for momenta greater than 1.6 GeV/C and is found to agree with predictions of the charm and bottom decay model. A search for a new charged lepton heavier than the tau was also performed. In the center of mass energy range 29.9 to 31.6 GeV, no multihadron event with an isolated muon which can be attributed to the production and muonic decay of a new heavy lepton was found. A new charged sequential heavy lepton in the mass range 7 to 14 GeV/c/sup 2/ is excluded at 95% CL.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6246030
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645101* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Electromagnetic Interactions & Properties
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANNIHILATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
DATA
DECAY
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTRON-POSITRON INTERACTIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FERMIONS
GEV RANGE
GEV RANGE 10-100
INCLUSIVE INTERACTIONS
INFORMATION
INTERACTIONS
LEPTON-LEPTON INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
MULTIPLE PRODUCTION
MUONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLE DECAY
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
PETRA STORAGE RING
SEMILEPTONIC DECAY
STORAGE RINGS
WEAK PARTICLE DECAY