Search for the lepton-flavour violating decay D^0→e^±μ^∓

Journal article

Search for the lepton-flavour violating decay D⁰ → e^±μ^∓

A search for the lepton-flavour violating decay D⁰ → e^±μ^∓ is made with a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb⁻¹ of proton–proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. Candidate D⁰ mesons are selected using the decay D^∗+ → D⁰π⁺ and the D⁰ → e^±μ^∓ branching fraction is measured using the decay mode D⁰ → K⁻π⁺ as a normalization channel. No significant excess of D⁰ → e^±μ^∓ candidates over the expected background is seen, and a limit is set on the branching fraction, 𝓑(D⁰ → e^±μ^∓) < 1.3 × 10⁻⁸, at 90% confidence level. This is an order of magnitude lower than the previous limit and it further constrains the parameter space in some leptoquark models and in supersymmetric models with R-parity violation.

Authors: Aaij, R; Beteta, C; Adeva, B; Harnew, N

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Physics Letters B
• Volume: 754
• Pages: 167-175
• Publication date: 2016-01-19
• Acceptance date: 2016-01-17
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2016.01.029
• EISSN: 1873-2445
• ISSN: 0370-2693
• Keywords: SBTMR