Measurement of the Rare Decay $π^{0} \to e^{+} e^{-}$

Publisher Website

26 April 1982

journal article
research article
Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters

Vol. 48 (17) , 1153-1156
https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.48.1153

Abstract

Evidence for the rare decay

π^{0} \to e^{+} e^{-}

has been obtained in an experiment which measured the invariant mass spectrum of

e^{+} e^{-}

pairs produced by 300-MeV/c

π^{-}

mesons interacting in a liquid-hydrogen target. The branching ratio is (1.8±0.6)×

10^{- 7}

, about four times larger than the unitarity lower limit.

Keywords

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:

The fermion mass scale and possible effects of Higgs bosons on experimental observables
Nuclear Physics B, 1979
On the decay $π^{0} \to e^{+} e^{-}$
Physical Review D, 1977
Anomalous lepton-hadron interactions and gauge models
Physical Review D, 1975
Implications of anomalous lepton hadron interactions
Physics Letters B, 1974
Experimental limits to the π0 → e+e− rate and their consequences for a direct electron-hadron coupling
Il Nuovo Cimento A (1971-1996), 1974
The structure of anomalous lepton hadron interactions and π0 → e−e+
Physics Letters B, 1974
$η$ and Pion Decays into Lepton Pairs
Physical Review D, 1972
Neutral Weak Interaction Currents
Physical Review B, 1965
The electromagnetic structure and alternative decay modes of the π0
Il Nuovo Cimento (1869-1876), 1960
Direct decay π0 → e++e−
Il Nuovo Cimento (1869-1876), 1959