Charged Kaon Production in Tau Lepton Decays

Author: Mills, Geoffrey Blount

Year: 1986

Degree: Dissertation (Ph.D.)

Advisor: Barish, Barry C.

Committee Members: Barish, Barry C.; Gomez, Ricardo; Preskill, John P.; Phillips, Thomas G.

Option: Physics

DOI: 10.7907/n2rv-ma10

Abstract

The result of an experiment performed at the PEP e+e- storage ring which operated at 29.0 GeV/c2 is presented. The DELCO detector, which emphasizes Cherenkov particle identification, is used to measured the production of charged kaons in τ decays. The branching ratio of the Cabibbo-suppressed decays b(τ± → K± ντ) = (0.57 ± 0.15)%, b(τ± → K± ντ + nπ0) = (1.59 ± 0.23)% n ≥ 0, and b(τ± → K±π+π-ντ(π0)) = (0.22+0.16-0.13)% are measured, and the branching ratio of the Cabibbo-favored decay b(τ± → K+K-π±ντ) = (0.22+0.17-0.11)% is measured. These branching ratio measurements provide a test e - µ - τ universality and are in agreement with and the predictions of SU(3) sum rules. The invariant mass distribution of the K+K-π system in the exclusive τ± → K+K-π±ντ channel is used to set a limit of 157 MeV/c2 at 95% CL on the τ neutrino mass.

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