Possible connection between a longer [tau] lifetime and the [tau]-neutrino mass

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.47.2011· OSTI ID:6819522

Foot, R ^[1]; Lew, H ^[2]

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1. Physics Department, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO9 5NH (United Kingdom)
2. Physics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1396 (United States)

The experimental measurements of the [tau]-lepton lifetime suggest that it might be a few percent longer than the standard model prediction. One of the simplest ways of obtaining a slightly longer [tau]-lepton lifetime is to assume that the [tau] neutrino mixes with another neutral particle which is more massive than the [tau] lepton. We examine the possibility of implementing this simple idea by adding only a right-handed neutrino to the minimal standard model. We find that the resulting model has a range of parameters in which the lifetime is longer than the prediction of the standard model by more than 1%. We show that this range of parameters implies that the [tau]-neutrino mass must be greater than 10 MeV. Hence the model will be tested when the measurements of the mass of the [tau] neutrino are improved.

• OSTI ID: 6819522
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Vol. 47:5; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
TAU NEUTRINOS
MASS
BRANCHING RATIO
COSMOLOGICAL MODELS
EIGENSTATES
LIFETIME
MUONS
QUANTIZATION
STANDARD MODEL
SYMMETRY
U-1 GROUPS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HEAVY LEPTONS
LEPTONS
LIE GROUPS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEUTRINOS
PARTICLE MODELS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
SYMMETRY GROUPS
U GROUPS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
662370* - Decays of Leptons- (1992-)