An upper limit on the tau neutrino mass from leptonic tau decays

The partial width of the τ → e ^- v _e v _τ can be calculated from the tau mass, lifetime and branching ratio. The increasing precision on these measurements is making the partial width sensitive to the mass of the tau neutrino. We present the tau neutrino mass dependence on the partial width and show that this leads to a limit of m _r < 71 MeV at the 95% confidence level. We show that the limit is determined by the uncertainty in the tau lifetime and τ → e?v _e v _τ branching ratio. Additional measurements of these values are expected in the next few years and we show that the limit could become competitive with the direct measurements.     

Improved limits on the mass of the tau neutrino

Several methods to determine (or set an upper bound on) the mass of the tau neutrino are described. The decay spectrum of \(\tau \to e\bar \nu _e \nu _\tau \) near the high center-of-mass electron-energy end is particularly sensitive to the tau-neutrino mass. It is shown that an upper bound of 20 MeV or lower may be feasible. In addition, improved limits on the mass and mixing angle of a heavy component of the tau-neutrino may be readily obtained. We also discuss the purely leptonic decays of theD andF mesons, and show how measurements of the ratiosB(D→τν_τ/B(D→μν_μ,B(F→τν_τ/B(D→μν_μ can be sensitive to tau-neutrino masses of 30 MeV or greater.     

An upper limit on the \tau neutrino mass from three- and five-prong tau decays

A bound on the tau neutrino mass is established using the data collected from 1991 to 1995 at with the ALEPH detector. Two separate limits are derived by fitting the distribution of visible energy vs invariant mass in and decays. The two results are combined to obtain a 95% confidence level upper limit of 18.2 MeV/c on the mass of the tau neutrino. Received: 30 October 1997 / Published online: 10 March 1998     

Reconstruction of $$ \tilde \tau _1 $$ mass at the LHC

The cascade mass reconstruction approach was used for mass reconstruction of the lightest $ \tilde \tau $ \tilde \tau produced at the LHC in the cascade decay $ \tilde g \to \tilde bb \to \tilde \chi _2^0 bb \to \tilde \tau _1 \tau bb \to \tilde \chi _1^0 \tau \tau bb $ \tilde g \to \tilde bb \to \tilde \chi _2^0 bb \to \tilde \tau _1 \tau bb \to \tilde \chi _1^0 \tau \tau bb . The $ \tilde \tau _1 $ \tilde \tau _1 mass was reconstructed assuming that masses of gluino, bottom squark, and two lightest neutralinos were reconstructed in advance. SUSY data sample sets for the SU(3) model point containing 160k events each were generated which corresponded to an integrated luminosity of about 8 fb⁻¹ at 14 TeV. These events were passed through the AcerDET detector simulator, which parametrized the response of a generic LHC detector. The mass of the $ \tilde \tau _1 $ \tilde \tau _1 was reconstructed with a precision of about 20% on average.     

Exclusive branching-fraction measurements of semileptonic tau decays into three charged hadrons, into phipi(-)nu tau, and into phi K(-)nu tau

Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 342 fb(-1) collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II electron-positron storage ring operating at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV, we measure B(tau(-)--> pi(-)pi(-)pi+nu(tau)(ex.K(S0))=(8.83+/-0.01+/-0.13)%, B(tau(-) -->K(-)pi(-)pi+nu tau(ex.K(S0))=(0.273+/-0.002+/-0.009)%, B(tau(-) -->K(-)pi(-)K+nu tau)=(0.1346+/-0.0010+/-0.0036)%, and B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau)=(1.58+/-0.13+/-0.12)x10;{-5}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These include significant improvements over previous measurements and a first measurement of B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau) in which no resonance structure is assumed. We also report a first measurement of B(tau(-) -->var phi(-)nu tau)=(3.42+/-0.55+/-0.25)x10(-5), a new measurement of B(tau(-) -->var phi K(-)nu tau)=(3.39+/-0.20+/-0.28)x10(-5) and a first upper limit on B(tau(-) -->K(-)K(-)K+nu tau(ex.var phi)).     

Observation of radiative leptonic decay of the tau lepton

Using 4.68 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data collected with the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have studied tau radiative decays tau(-)-->nu(tau)&mgr;(-)nu;(&mgr;)gamma and tau(-)-->nu(tau)e(-)nu;(e)gamma. For a 10 MeV minimum photon energy in the tau rest frame, the branching fraction for radiative tau decay to a muon or electron is measured to be (3.61+/-0.16+/-0. 35)x10(-3) or (1.75+/-0.06+/-0.17)x10(-2), respectively. The branching fractions are in agreement with standard model theoretical predictions.     

Study of tau decays to six pions and a neutrino

The tau decays to six-pion final states have been studied with the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring. The measured branching fractions are B(tau(-)-->2pi(-)pi(+)3pi(0)nu(tau)) = (2.2+/-0.3+/-0.4)x10(-4) and B(tau(-)-->3pi(-)2pi(+)pi(0)nu(tau)) = (1.7+/-0.2+/-0.2)x10(-4). A search for substructure in these decays shows that they are saturated by intermediate states with eta or omega mesons. We present the first observation of the decay tau(-)-->2pi(-)pi(+)omega(nu)tau and the branching fraction is measured to be (1.2+/-0.2+/-0.1)x10(-4). The measured branching fractions are in good agreement with the isospin expectations but somewhat below the conserved-vector-current predictions.     

Measurement of the absolute branching fraction of Ds+ --> tau+ nutau decay

Using a sample of tagged D(s)(+) decays collected near the D(s)(*+/-)D(s)(-/+) peak production energy in e(+)e(-) collisions with the CLEO-c detector, we study the leptonic decay D(s)(+)-->tau(+)nu(tau) via the decay channel tau(+)-->e(+)nu(e)nu(tau). We measure B(D(s)(+)-->tau(+)nu(tau))=(6.17+/-0.71+/-0.34)%, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. Combining this result with our measurements of D(s)(+)-->mu(+)nu(mu) and D(s)(+)-->tau(+)nu(tau) (via tau(+)-->pi(+)nu(tau)), we determine f(D(s))=(274+/-10+/-5) MeV.     

Search for the lepton-flavor-violating leptonic B(0)-->mu(+/-)tau(-/+) and B(0)-->e(+/-)tau(-/+)

We have searched a sample of 9.6 x 10(6) BB events for the lepton-flavor-violating leptonic B decays, B(0)-->mu(+/-)tau(-/+) and B(0)-->e(+/-)tau(-/+). The tau lepton was detected through the decay modes tau-->lnunu(-) , where l=e, mu. There is no indication of a signal, and we obtain the 90% confidence level upper limits B(B(0)-->mu(+/-)tau(-/+))<3.8 x 10(-5) and B(B(0)-->e(+/-)tau(-/+))<1.3 x 10(-4).     

Branching fractions of tau leptons to three charged hadrons

From electron-positron collision data collected with the CLEO detector operating at Cornell Electron Storage Ring near sqrt[s]=10.6 GeV, improved measurements of the branching fractions for tau decays into three explicitly identified hadrons and a neutrino are presented as B(tau(-)-->pi(-)pi(+)pi(-)nu(tau))=(9.13+/-0.05+/-0.46)%, B(tau(-)-->K-pi(+)pi(-)nu(tau))=(3.84+/-0.14+/-0.38) x 10(-3), B(tau(-)-->K-K+pi(-)nu(tau))=(1.55+/-0.06+/-0.09) x 10(-3), and B(tau(-)-->K-K+K-nu(tau))<3.7 x 10(-5) at 90% C.L., where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.     

Observation of B(0)-->D(*-)tau(+)nu(tau) decay at Belle

We report an observation of the decay B{0}-->D{*-}tau{+}nu{tau} in a data sample containing 535x10{6} BB pairs collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e{+}e{-} collider. We find a signal with a significance of 5.2sigma and measure the branching fraction B(B{0}-->D{*-}tau{+}nu{tau})=(2.02{-0.37}{+0.40}(stat)+/-0.37(syst))%. This is the first observation of an exclusive B decay with a b-->ctaunu{tau} transition.     

Measurement of atmospheric neutrino flux consistent with tau neutrino appearance

A search for the appearance of tau neutrinos from nu(mu) <--> nu(tau) oscillations in the atmospheric neutrinos has been performed using 1489.2 days of atmospheric neutrino data from the Super-Kamiokande-I experiment. A best fit tau neutrino appearance signal of 138+/-48(stat)-32(+15)(syst) events is obtained with an expectation of 78+/-26(syst). The hypothesis of no tau neutrino appearance is disfavored by 2.4 sigma.     

Upper limit on the diffuse flux of ultrahigh energy tau neutrinos from the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory is sensitive to Earth-skimming tau neutrinos that interact in Earth's crust. Tau leptons from nu(tau) charged-current interactions can emerge and decay in the atmosphere to produce a nearly horizontal shower with a significant electromagnetic component. The data collected between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2007 are used to place an upper limit on the diffuse flux of nu(tau) at EeV energies. Assuming an E(nu)(-2) differential energy spectrum the limit set at 90% C.L. is E(nu)(2)dN(nu)(tau)/dE(nu)<1.3 x 10(-7) GeV cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) in the energy range 2 x 10(17) eV< E(nu)< 2 x 10(19) eV.     

The hadronic tau decay signature of a heavy charged Higgs boson at LHC

The hadronic tau decay channel offers by far the best signature for heavy charged Higgs boson search at the LHC in the large tanβ region. By exploiting the distinct polarization of the tau and its large transverse mass, along with the accompanying missing–p_T, one can probe for a charged Higgs boson up to a mass of about 600 GeV in an essentially background-free environment. The transverse mass distribution of the tau jet also provides a fairly unambiguous estimate of the charged Higgs boson mass.     

Search for lepton flavor violation in the decay tau+/- --> mu+ gamma

A search for the nonconservation of lepton flavor number in the decay tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) has been performed using 2.07 x 10(8) e(+ )e(-) tau(+) tau(-) events produced at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II storage ring. We find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of Beta(tau(+/-) --> mu(+/-) gamma) < 6.8 x 10(-8) at 90% confidence level.     

Search for new physics using high-mass tau pairs from 1.96 TeV pp collisions

We present the results of a search for anomalous resonant production of tau lepton pairs with large invariant mass, the first such search using the CDF II Detector in Run II of the Tevatron pp collider. Such anomalous production could arise from various new physics processes. In a data sample corresponding to 195 pb(-1) of integrated luminosity we predict 2.8+/-0.5 events from standard model background processes and observe 4. We use this result to set limits on the production of heavy scalar and vector particles decaying to tau lepton pairs.     

V(us) and m(s) from hadronic tau decays

Recent experimental results on hadronic tau decays into strange particles by the OPAL Collaboration are employed to determine V(us) and m(s) from moments of the invariant mass distribution. Our results are V(us)=0.2208+/-0.0034 and m(s)(2 GeV)=81+/-22 MeV. The error on V(us) is dominated by experiment and should be improvable in the future. Nevertheless, already now our result is competitive with the standard extraction of V(us) from K(e3) decays, and it is compatible with unitarity.     

Technique for direct eV-scale measurements of the Mu and tau neutrino masses using supernova neutrinos

Early black hole formation in a core-collapse supernova will abruptly truncate the neutrino fluxes. The sharp cutoff can be used to make model-independent time-of-flight neutrino mass tests. Assuming a neutrino luminosity of 10(52) erg/s per flavor at cutoff and a distance of 10 kpc, Super-Kamiokande can detect an electron neutrino mass as small as 1.8 eV, and the proposed OMNIS detector can detect mu and tau neutrino masses as small as 6 eV. We present the first technique with direct sensitivity to eV-scale mu and tau neutrino masses.     

Determination of the strange quark mass from Cabibbo-suppressed tau decays with resummed perturbation theory in an effective scheme

We present an analysis of the -corrections to Cabibbo-suppressed -lepton decays employing contour improved resummation within an effective scheme which is an essential new feature as compared to previous analyses. The whole perturbative QCD dynamics of the -system is described by the -function of the effective coupling constant and by two -functions for the effective mass parameters of the strange quark in different spin channels. We analyze the stability of our results with regard to high-order terms in the perturbative expansion of the renormalization group functions. A numerical value for the strange quark mass in the scheme is extracted: $m_s(M_\tau)=130\pm 27_{\mathrm{{exp}}}\pm 9_{\mathrm{{th}}}{\mathrm{ MeV}}$. After running to the scale this translates into . Received: 1 October 2000 / Revised version: 22 February 2001 / Published online: 18 May 2001     

Search for lepton flavor violating decays tau+/--->l+/-omega

A search for lepton flavor violating decays of a tau to a lighter-mass charged lepton and an omega vector meson is performed using 384.1 fb(-1) of e(+)e(-) annihilation data collected with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center PEP-II storage ring. No signal is found, and the upper limits on the branching ratios are determined to be B(tau(+/-)-->e;{+/-}omega)<1.1 x10 (-7) and B(tau(+/-)-->micro(+/-)omega)<1.0 x 10(-7) at 90% confidence level.