Abstract
We have searched for the decay modeK +→μ+ v e by looking for thev e interactions in a neon/hydrogen bubble chamber. The observed events with electrons are consistent with being produced byv e from the decaysK +→π0 e + v e . We set a 90% confidence level upper limit of 0.4% for the μ+ v e decay mode of positive kaons.
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Oscillations and the reaction (1) can in principle be distinguished as possible sources ofv e by the dependence of the effect on the distance from the source of neutrinos
The currently quoted [5] upper limit for this process' branching ratio is 2×10−9, but it was obtained in an experiment [8] which failed to observe theK O L →μ+μ− mode, and set an upper limit (<3×10−9) which is significantly below the currently accepted value ((9±2)10−9)
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According to the old idea of “neutrino flip” [11], allK +→μ⋎ decays should involve av e rather than av μ. This was soon ruled out by early neutrino experiments [12]. Here we examine the possibility that the reaction (1) may occur in competition with the dominant decay mode (2)
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It is possible that in addition to the decay modes (1) and (3), there could be other sources of neutrinos incident on the bubble chamber (e.g. prompt neutrinos [14] from charm production in the target upstream of the narrow band beam). If so, our upper limits onF should be reduced slightly. We prefer to take a more conservative option, and accept 0.4% as our upper limit, independent of other possible sources of neutrinos
H. Wachsmuth: Proc. Top. Conf. Neutrino Physics at Accelerators, p. 233 (Oxford 1978)
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Lyons, L., Albajar, C. & Myatt, G. An experimental limit on the decayK +→μ+ v e . Z. Phys. C - Particles and Fields 10, 215–219 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01549729
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01549729