Search for Proton Decay through p {r_arrow} {bar {nu}}K{sup +} in a Large Water Cherenkov Detector

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physical Review Letters

OSTI ID:698865

Fukuda, Y; Hayakawa, T; Inoue, K; Ishihara, K; Ishino, H; Itow, Y; Kajita, T; Kameda, J; Kasuga, S; Kobayashi, K; Kobayashi, Y; Koshio, Y; Miura, M; Nakahata, M; Nakayama, S; Obayashi, Y; Okada, A; Okumura, K; Sakurai, N; Shiozawa, M ; Suzuki, Y; Takeuchi, H; Takeuchi, Y; Totsuka, Y; Yamada, S ^[1]; Earl, M; Habig, A; Kearns, E; Messier, M D; Scholberg, K; Stone, J L; Sulak, L R; Walter, C W ^[2]; Goldhaber, M ^[3]; Barszczak, T; Casper, D; Gajewski, W; Kropp, W R; Mine, S; Price, L R; Smy, M; Sobel, H W; Vagins, M R; Haines, T J; Kielczewska, D ^[4]; Ganezer, K S; Keig, W E ^[5]; Ellsworth, R W ^[6]; Tasaka, S ^[7]; Kibayashi, A; Learned, J G; Matsuno, S; Stenger, V J; Takemori, D ^[8]; Ishii, T; Kanzaki, J; Kobayashi, T; Nakamura, K; Nishikawa, K; Oyama, Y; Sakai, A; Sakuda, M; Sasaki, O ^[9]; Echigo, S; Kohama, M; Suzuki, A T ^[10]; Haines, T J ^[11]; Blaufuss, E; Kim, B K; Sanford, R; others, and

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1. Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Tanashi, Tokyo 188-8502 (Japan)
2. Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)
3. Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 (United States)
4. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-4575 (United States)
5. Department of Physics, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, California 90747 (United States)
6. Department of Physics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030 (United States)
7. Department of Physics, Gifu University, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193 (Japan)
8. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 (United States)
9. Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan)
10. Department of Physics, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501 (Japan)
11. Physics Division, P-23, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 (United States)

We present results of a search for proton decays, p{r_arrow}{bar {nu}}K{sup +} , using data from a 33 kt{center_dot}yr exposure of the Super-Kamiokande detector. Two decay modes of the kaon, K{sup +}{r_arrow}{mu}{sup +}{nu}{sub {mu}} and K{sup +}{r_arrow}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0} , were studied. The data were consistent with the background expected from atmospheric neutrinos; therefore a lower limit on the partial lifetime of the proton {tau}/B(p{r_arrow}{bar {nu}} K{sup +}) was found to be 6.7{times}10{sup 32} years at 90{percent} confidence level. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

• OSTI ID: 698865
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 83, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1999
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
PIONS
MUONS
CHERENKOV COUNTERS
PROTONS
PARTICLE DECAY
KAONS PLUS
PIONS PLUS
PIONS NEUTRAL
GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
ANTINEUTRINOS
LIFETIME