Superallowed 0+ → 0+ beta-decay and CKM unitarity

Precise measurements of the ft-values for superallowed nuclear β-decay yield results that support conservation of the weak vector current but violate the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix by more than two standard deviations. This apparent violation of the Standard Model has led to considerable theoretical and experimental activity largely focussed on reducing uncertainties in the small correction terms that account for charge-dependent nuclear effects. This activity is outlined and the prospects for future sharpening of the unitarity test are assessed. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: hardy@comp.tamu.edu     

Supersymmetric Box Contributions toe + e −→Z 0 h 0 ande + e −→A 0 h 0

Within the MSSM we calculate the electroweak 1-loop box contributions to the processese ⁺ e ^–Z ⁰ h ⁰ ande ⁺ e ^–Z ⁰ h ⁰. We present detailed results for c.m. energies and as well as for tan =2 and tan =50. The box contributions to the processe ⁺ e ^–Z ⁰ h ⁰ are, depending on and tan , of the order –2 to –20% and toe ⁺ e ^– A ⁰ h ⁰ of 2 to 10%.     

The 0 1 + →0+ electric monopole transition in112Cd

The low-lying levels of¹¹²Cd have been populated in the decay of¹¹²In (T _1/2=14 ^m ) produced through the¹¹²Cd (p, n)¹¹²In reaction atE _p=6.5–7 MeV. The intensity ratio of theE0 toE2K-conversion electrons from the 0 ₁ ⁺ level to the ground (0⁺) and to the first (2⁺) excited state in¹¹²Cd has been measured and the ratioX(E0/E2) =B(E0;0 ₁ ⁺ →0⁺)/B(E2;0 ₁ ⁺ →2⁺) has been determined. The result is compared with the predictions of current macroscopic models.     

Investigation of isospin forbidden 0+ → 0+ Fermi beta decays with Pyatov method

In the present work, the matrix elements, isospin impurities and log ft values of the isospin forbidden 0⁺ → 0⁺ beta decays have been investigated. The calculated results have been compared with available experimental and another theoretical data. The isotopic invariance of the Hamiltonian has been restored by Pyatov method. Within the quasi-particle random phase approximation (QRPA), the computations have been performed both in presence and absence of the pairing interactions.     

Electron screening corrections to 0+→0+ beta decays

We correct the perturbative calculation of the electron screening corrections to 0⁺→0⁺ beta decays given by Drukarev and Strikman. The corrected calculation agrees with the standard Rose treatment of the screening corrections and eliminates the Z-dependent discrepancies in the corrected ft values for the superallowed Fermi transitions claimed by those authors.     

e+e-→e+e-π0π0 at DAΦNE

The production of the σ(500) meson in γγ→π⁰π⁰ is studied. In particular, the KLOE data collected during the DAΦNE run at are appropriate to this purpose because of the strong reduction of kaon backgrounds. PACS 12.39.-x     

On polarization of strange baryons in reactions p + p↦p + Λ0 + K+ and p + p↦p + Σ0 + K+ near thresholds

Polarization properties of strange baryons produced in pp reactions, p + p↦p + Λ⁰ + K⁺ and p + p↦p + Σ⁰ + K⁺, near thresholds of the final states pΛ⁰K⁺ and pΣ⁰K⁺ are analysed relative to polarizations of colliding protons. The cross-sections for pp reactions are calculated within the effective Lagrangian approach accounting for strong pp rescattering in the initial state of colliding protons with a dominant contribution of the one-pion exchange and strong final-state interaction of daughter hadrons (Eur. Phys. J. A 9, 425 (2000)). Received: 22 October 2001 / Accepted: 14 November 2001     

Zum experimentellen Nachweis von Zweiquantenzerfall beim 0+-0+-Übergang des Zr90

With a scintillation coincidence spectrometer it has been tried to detect double quantum emission in the 0⁺-0⁺ transition of the first excited level of Zr⁹⁰. An effect, probably due to double quantum emission gives 2·10^?3 for this decay mode. This level is reached byβ-decay of Y⁹⁰. From a measurement of the positron annihilation radiation it follows, that (3,4±0,4)·10^?5 pairs deexciting this level are created perβ-decay of Y⁹⁰.     

Annihilation of + \bar p + p → e + + e ? + π0 and + \bar p + p → γ + π0 through an ω-Meson intermediate state

The s-channel annihilation of a proton and an antiproton into a neutral pion and a real or virtual photon followed by lepton pair emission is studied. Such a mechanism is expected to play a role at moderate values of the total energy $ \sqrt s $ , when the pion is emitted in the angular region around 90° in the center-of-mass system. A fair comparison with the existing data is obtained taking scattering and annihilation channels into account. The cross section is calculated and numerical results are given in the kinematical range accessible in the PANDA experiment at FAIR.     

Search for the rare decays K(L)→π0π0μ+μ- and K(L)→π0π0X0→π0π0μ+μ-

The KTeV E799 experiment has conducted a search for the rare decays, K(L)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-) and K(L)→π(0)π(0)X(0)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-), where the X(0) is a possible new neutral boson that was reported by the HyperCP experiment with a mass of (214.3 ± 0.5) MeV/c(2). We find no evidence for either decay. We obtain upper limits of Br(K(L)→π(0)π(0)X(0)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-)) < 1.0 × 10(-10) and Br(K(L)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-)) < 9.2 × 10(-11) at the 90% confidence level. This result rules out the pseudoscalar X(0) as an explanation of the HyperCP result under the scenario that the dsX(0) coupling is completely real.     

Partition temperatures ofK 0 andΛ 0 fromπ + p collisions

The rapidity distributions of inclusive ⁺ p ^–,K ⁰, ⁰ andK ^* (892) atP _1ab=16 GeV/c of CERN experiments, are analyzed using the covariant partition temperatureT _p model. In the fireball system, apart fromK ^* (892),T _p ^* m, no indication of thermal equilibrium, the average momentum ofK ⁰ and ⁰ being approximately equal and in the opposite direction, the entropy density is practically the same forK ⁰ and ⁰ but less than that of ^–. It is found that the principle of equipartition holds rather for the momenta of ,K, and in the fireball system.     

Collective effects induced by charge-exchange vibrational modes on 0− → 0+ and 2− → 0+ first-forbidden β-decay transitions

The influence of collective effects associated with spin-isospin-dependent modes upon unique first-forbidden β-decay transitions is studied. The ft values for the 0⁻ → 0⁺ and 2⁻ → 0⁺ transitions, in the mass region 70 ≤ A ≤ 214, are calculated and compared with the experimental data.     

遍举衰变过程D0→Ks0π+π–和D0→Ks0K+K–及其共振态结构的实验研究

利用北京谱仪(BES–Ⅰ)在北京正负电子对撞机(BEPC)e+e–质心系能量为4.03GeV处采集的积分亮度为22.3pb–1的数据,研究了D0→K0sπ+π–,D0→K0sK+K–的衰变及其末态的共振结构.实验测得D0→K0sπ+π–过程的分支比为(5.32±0.53±0.40)%;D0→K–π+,D0→K0ρ0和D0→K0s(π+π–)non resonance过程的分支比分别为(6.05±0.32±0.49)%,(1.17±0.17±0.13)%和(1.35±0.22±0.17)%;测得D0→K0sK+K–,D0→K0和D0→K0(K+K–)non?的分支比分别为(1.04±0.2?4±0?.16)%,(1.12±0.34±0.15)%和(0.27±0.13±0.03)%.     

Study of Exclusive Hadronic Decays for D0→Ks0π+π- and D0→Ks0K+K- and Their Resonant Structures

We report the results of an experimental study of the exclusive hadronic decays for D0→K0 sπ+π - and K 0 sK +K - and their resonant structures using BES-Ⅰ detector at the BEPC Collider. Using the data sample of 22.3 pb -1 collected at the center-of-mass energy s=4.03 GeV, we measured the branching fraction for D 0→K 0π +π - to be (5.32±0.53±0.40)%, the branching fractions for the decays D 0→ K *-π +, D 0→K 0ρ 0 and D 0→K 0(π +π -) non-resonant to be (6.05±0.32±0.49)%, (1.17±0.17±0.13)% and (1.35±0.22±0.17)%, respectively. We measured the branching fractions Br(D 0→f) to be (1.04±0.24± 0.16)% for f=K 0K +K -, (1.12±0.34±0.15)% for f=K0, and (0.27±0.13±0.03)% for f=K 0(K+K-)non-.     

Electroweak radiative corrections to e+e− → Z0Z0

The cross section for e⁺e⁻ → Z⁰Z⁰ with arbitrary polarizations of the leptons and bosons is calculated in the standard electroweak model including the complete one-loop virtual and soft-photon bremsstrahlung corrections. All necessary analytical formulas are presented; numerical results are discussed for the unpolarized case and for the polarization asymmetry. At LEP 200 energies the weak corrections are dominated by the self-energy of the external Z⁰-bosons which contributes about +15%. With increasing energy, the weak corrections decrease up to -18% at 1 TeV due to other contributions.     

TheK S 0 →π0 l + l − andK L 0 →π0 l + l − decays in the standard model and the extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

TheK _S ^{0 0} l ⁺ l ^– andK _L ^{0 0} l ⁺ l ^– decays are considered within the framework of the Standard model in the one-photon exchange approximation, i.e.K _S,L ^{0 0}+ *⁰ +l ⁺ l ^–. To evaluate the low-energy matrix elements of theK ⁰(¯K ⁰)⁰+ * transitions, the constituentquark-loop approximation, based on the extended Nambu-Jona-Lasino (NJL) model, is used. The obtained results are compared with other theoretical estimates and the experimental bounds.     

On the reactions p + p↦p + Λ + K+ and p + p↦p + Σ0 + K+ near thresholds

The cross-sections for the reactions of the strange production p + p ↦ p + Λ + K⁺ and p + p ↦ p + Σ⁰ + K⁺ near thresholds of the final states pΛK⁺ and pΣ⁰K⁺ are calculated in the effective Lagrangian approach. Our approach is based on the dominant contribution of the one-pion exchange and strong interaction of the colliding protons in the initial state. The theoretical values of the cross-sections agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The polarization properties of the Λ- and Σ⁰-hyperons are discussed.