TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of muon decay with lepton-number-nonconserving interactions
AU - Langacker, Paul
AU - London, David
PY - 1989
Y1 - 1989
N2 - We analyze muon decay using the most general local, derivative-free, Lorentz-invariant, lepton-number-nonconserving interactions. We show that, neglecting neutrino masses, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the coupling constants in the lepton-number-conserving case and combinations of coupling constants in the lepton-number-violating case; i.e., it is not possible, even in principle, to test lepton-number conservation in muon decay if the final neutrinos are massless and are not observed. Using these relations, we are able to use previous analyses of (lepton-number-conserving) muon and inverse muon decay to put stringent limits on certain combinations of parameters. If fine-tuned cancellations are not allowed, these limits constrain the individual coupling constants. We discuss to what extent it is directly tested that the (left-handed) neutrino emitted in muon decay is the same as that which is produced in 2 decay.
AB - We analyze muon decay using the most general local, derivative-free, Lorentz-invariant, lepton-number-nonconserving interactions. We show that, neglecting neutrino masses, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the coupling constants in the lepton-number-conserving case and combinations of coupling constants in the lepton-number-violating case; i.e., it is not possible, even in principle, to test lepton-number conservation in muon decay if the final neutrinos are massless and are not observed. Using these relations, we are able to use previous analyses of (lepton-number-conserving) muon and inverse muon decay to put stringent limits on certain combinations of parameters. If fine-tuned cancellations are not allowed, these limits constrain the individual coupling constants. We discuss to what extent it is directly tested that the (left-handed) neutrino emitted in muon decay is the same as that which is produced in 2 decay.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.39.266
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.39.266
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0001715272
SN - 1550-7998
VL - 39
SP - 266
EP - 273
JO - Physical review D: Particles and fields
JF - Physical review D: Particles and fields
IS - 1
ER -