Neutrinoless double Beta decay and lepton flavor violation

We point out that extensions of the standard model with low scale (approximately TeV) lepton number violation (LNV) generally lead to a pattern of lepton flavor violation (LFV) experimentally distinguishable from the one implied by models with grand unified theory scale LNV. As a consequence, muon LFV processes provide a powerful diagnostic tool to determine whether or not the effective neutrino mass can be deduced from the rate of neutrinoless double beta decay. We discuss the role of mu-->egamma and mu-->e conversion in nuclei, which will be studied with high sensitivity in forthcoming experiments.     

Charged lepton flavor violation: An experimenter’s guide

Charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) is a clear signal of new physics; it directly addresses the physics of flavor and of generations. The search for CLFV has continued from the early 1940s, when the muon was identified as a separate particle, until today. Certainly in the LHC era the motivations for continued searches are clear and have been covered in many reviews. This review is focused on the experimental history with a view toward how these searches might progress. We examine the status of searches for charged lepton flavor violation in the muon, tau, and other channels, and then examine the prospects for new efforts over the next decade. Finally, we examine what paths might be taken after the conclusion of upcoming experiments and what facilities might be required.     

Muon anomalous magnetic moment and lepton flavor violation in MSSM

We give a thorough analysis of the correlation between the muon anomalous magnetic moment and the radiative lepton flavor violating (LFV) processes within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We find that in the case when the slepton mass eigenstates are nearly degenerate, , coming from SUSY contributions, hardly depends on the lepton flavor mixing and, thus, there is no direct relation between and the LFV processes. On the contrary, if the first two generations' sleptons are much heavier than the third one, i.e., in the effective SUSY scenario, the two quantities are closely related. In the latter scenario, the SUSY parameter space to account for the experimental is quite different from the case of no lepton flavor mixing. Especially, the Higgsino mass parameter can be either positive or negative.Received: 10 May 2003, Revised: 27 June 2003, Published online: 29 August 2003     

Probing neutrino masses and tri-bimaximality with lepton flavor violation searches

We examine relation between neutrino oscillation parameters and prediction of lepton flavor violation, in light of deviations from tri-bimaximal mixing. Our study shows that upcoming experimental searches for lepton flavor violation process can provide useful implications for neutrino mass spectrum and mixing angles. With simple structure of heavy right-handed neutrino and supersymmetry breaking sectors, the discovery of τ→μγ$\tau \to \mu \gamma$ decay determines neutrino mass hierarchy if large (order 0.1) reactor angle is established.     

Search for flavor lepton number violation in slepton decays at LHC

We show that in supersymmetric models with explicit flavor lepton number violation due to soft supersymmetry breaking mass terms there could be detectable flavor lepton number violation in slepton decays. We estimate the potential for discovery of lepton flavor number violation in slepton decays at LHC. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 2, 139–144 (25 January 1997) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

Lepton flavor violation and non-unitary lepton mixing in low-scale type-I seesaw

Journal of High Energy Physics - It is sometimes believed that small quantum gravity effects can encode information as ‘delicate correlations’ in Hawking radiation, thus saving...     

Search for lepton flavor violation in supersymmetric models via meson decays

Considering the constraints from the experimental data on μ→eγ$\mu \to e\gamma$, μ→3e$\mu \to 3e$, μ–e$\mu \text{–}e$ conversion, etc., we analyze the lepton flavor violating decays ?(J/Ψ,?(1S))→e⁺μ⁻(μ⁺τ⁻)$?(J/\Psi ,?(1S))\to e^{+}{\mu }^{-}({\mu }^{+}{\tau }^{-})$ in the scenarios of the minimal supersymmetric extensions of Standard Model with seesaw mechanism. Numerically, there is parameter space that the LFV processes of J/Ψ(?)→μ⁺τ⁻$J/\Psi (?)\to {\mu }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ can reach the upper experimental bounds, meanwhile the theoretical predictions on μ→eγ$\mu \to e\gamma$, μ→3e$\mu \to 3e$, μ–e$\mu \text{–}e$ conversion satisfy the present experimental bounds. For searching of new physics, lepton flavor violating processes J/Ψ(?)→μ⁺τ⁻$J/\Psi (?)\to {\mu }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$ may be more promising and effective channels.     

mixing phase and lepton flavor violation in supersymmetric SU(5)

We inspect consequences of the latest B_s mixing phase measurements on lepton flavor violation in a supersymmetric SU(5) theory. The phase, preferring a non-vanishing squark mixing, generically implies τ→(e+μ)γ and μ→eγ. Depending on the gaugino and the scalar mass parameters as well as tanβ, the rates turn out to be detectable or even already excessive, if the RR mass insertion of down-type squarks is nonzero. We find that it becomes easy to reconcile B_s mixing phase with lepton flavor violation given: gaugino to scalar squared mass ratio around 1/12, both LL and RR insertions with decent sizes, and low tanβ.     

Search for lepton flavor violation in K+ decays into a charged pion and two leptons

A search for lepton flavor violating decays, K+ --> mu+ mu+ pi-, K+ --> e+ e+ pi-, K+ --> pi+ e+ mu-, K+ --> mu+ e+ pi-, and pi0 --> e+ mu-, was performed using the data collected in Experiment E865 at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. No signal was found in any of the decay modes. At the 90% confidence level, the branching ratios are less than 3.0x10(-9), 6.4x10(-10), 5. 2x10(-10), 5.0x10(-10), and 3.4x10(-9), respectively.     

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

A search for the nonconservation of lepton flavor in the decay tau+/--->e+/-gamma has been performed with 2.07x10(8) e+e--->tau+tau- events collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP II storage ring at a center-of-mass energy near 10.58 GeV. We find no evidence for a signal and set an upper limit on the branching ratio of Beta(tau+/--->e+/-gamma)<1.1x10(-7) at 90% confidence level.     

The littlest Higgs model with T-parity and some lepton flavor violation decay processes

The new particles predicted by the littlest Higgs model with T-parity (called LHT model) can induce the lepton flavor violation (LFV) couplings at the one-loop level,which can add contributions to some LFV processes.Taking into account the constraints of the experimental data on the relevant free parameters,we calculate the branching ratios of the LFV decay processes Z → l ˉl and τ-→μ-P 1 P 2 with P 1 P 2 = π + π-,K + K-,and K0 ˉK 0 in the context of this new physics model.We find that the LHT model can indeed make significant contributions to some of these LFV decay processes.The Z factory option for the future high energy e + e-collider experiments will give severe constraints on the LHT model.     

Search for lepton flavor violation in ep collisions at 300 GeV center of mass energy

Using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electronproton collider, we have searched for lepton flavor violation in ep collisions at a center—of—mass energy ($sqrt S$) of 300 GeV. Events of the type e + p → ? + X with a final—state lepton of high transverse momentum, ? = μ or τ, were sought. No evidence was found for lepton flavor violation in the combined 1993 and 1994 data samples, for which the integrated luminosities were 0.84 pb{?1}for e{～p collisions and 2.94 pb{?1} for e⁺p collisions. Limits on coupling vs. mass are provided for leptoquarks and R—parity violating squarks. For flavor violating couplings of electromagnetic strength, we set 95% confidence level lower limits on leptoquark masses between 207 GeV and 272 GeV, depending on the leptoquark species and final—state lepton. For leptoquark masses larger than 300 GeV, limits on flavor—changing couplings are determined, many of which supersede prior limits from rare decay processes.     

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.