We report an improved measurement of the inverse muon decay process, ν μ +e→ μ − + ν e , at the Fermilab Tevatron. The rate of this reaction with respect to the ν μ -N charged current interaction is measured to be (0.1245±0.0057(stat.)±0.0031 (sys.)) × 10 −2 . The measurement confirms the standard model predictions for the Lorentz structure of the weak current, the helicity of the neutrino, and the energy dependence of the cross section.
The NuTeV experiment at Fermilab has used a sign-selected neutrino beam to perform a search for the lepton number violating process $\bar{\nu}_mu e^- \to \mu^- \bar{\nu}_e$, and to measure the cross-section of the Standard Model inverse muon decay process $\nu_{\mu} e^- \to \mu^- \nu_e$. NuTeV measures the inverse muon decay asymptotic cross-section $\sigma/E$ to be 13.8 $\pm$ 1.2 $\pm$ 1.4 x $10^{-42} cm^2$/GeV. The experiment also observes no evidence for lepton number violation and places one of the most restrictive limits on the LNV/IMD cross-section ratio at $\sigma (\bar{\nu}_{\mu} e^- \to \mu^- \bar{\nu}_e) /\sigma (\nu_{\mu}e^- \to \mu^- \nu_e$) $\le$ 1.7% at 90% C.L. for V-A couplings and $\le$ 0.6% for scalar couplings.
Forum