Search for the dark photon in $\pi^0$ decays

The NA48/2 collaboration Batley, J.R. ; Kalmus, G. ; Lazzeroni, C. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 746 (2015) 178-185, 2015.
Inspire Record 1357601 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.67658

A sample of $1.69\times 10^7$ fully reconstructed $\pi^0\to\gamma e^+e^-$ decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 experiment at CERN in 2003--2004 is analysed to search for the dark photon ($A'$) production in the $\pi^0\to\gamma A'$ decay followed by the prompt $A'\to e^+e^-$ decay. No signal is observed, and an exclusion region in the plane of the dark photon mass $m_{A'}$ and mixing parameter $\varepsilon^2$ is established. The obtained upper limits on $\varepsilon^2$ are more stringent than the previous limits in the mass range $9~{\rm MeV}/c^2<m_{A'}<70~{\rm MeV}/c^2$. The NA48/2 sensitivity to the dark photon production in the $K^\pm\to\pi^\pm A'$ decay is also evaluated.

1 data table

The obtained 90% CL upper limits (ULs) on the mixing parameter $\epsilon^2$ for each dark photon (DP) mass hypothesis tested.


Precise measurement of the K+- --> pi+-e+e- decay

The NA48/2 collaboration Batley, J.R. ; Culling, A.J. ; Kalmus, G. ; et al.
Phys.Lett.B 677 (2009) 246-254, 2009.
Inspire Record 815724 DOI 10.17182/hepdata.35365

A sample of 7253 $K^\pm\to\pi^\pm e^+e^-(\gamma)$ decay candidates with 1.0% background contamination has been collected by the NA48/2 experiment at the CERN SPS, allowing a precise measurement of the decay properties. The branching ratio in the full kinematic range was measured to be ${\rm BR}=(3.11\pm0.12)\times 10^{-7}$, where the uncertainty includes also the model dependence. The shape of the form factor $W(z)$, where $z=(M_{ee}/M_K)^2$, was parameterized according to several models, and, in particular, the slope $\delta$ of the linear form factor $W(z)=W_0(1+\delta z)$ was determined to be $\delta=2.32\pm0.18$. A possible CP violating asymmetry of $K^+$ and $K^-$ decay widths was investigated, and a conservative upper limit of $2.1\times 10^{-2}$ at 90% CL was established.

1 data table

The $d\Gamma_{\pi ee}/dz$ spectrum (background subtracted, corrected for trigger efficiency). Systematic errors, notably the external one due to the branching ratios of the normalization decay mode according to PDG 2008, are not included.