Measurement of the leptonic branching ratios of the τ lepton

R. Akers, G. Alexander, J. Allison, K. Ametewee, K. J. Anderson, S. Arcelli, S. Asai, D. Axen, G. Azuelos, A. H. Ball, E. Barberio, R. J. Barlow, R. Bartoldus, J. R. Batley, G. Beaudoin, A. Beck, G. A. Beck, C. Beeston, T. Behnke, K. W. BellG. Bella, S. Bentvelsen, P. Berlich, S. Bethke, O. Biebel, I. J. Bloodworth, P. Bock, H. M. Bosch, M. Boutemeur, S. Braibant, P. Bright-Thomas, R. M. Brown, A. Buijs, H. J. Burckhart, R. Bürgin, C. Burgard, N. Capdevielle, P. Capiluppi, R. K. Carnegie, A. A. Carter, J. R. Carter, C. Y. Chang, C. Charlesworth, D. G. Charlton, S. L. Chu, P. E.L. Clarke, J. C. Clayton, S. G. Clowes, I. Cohen, J. E. Conboy, O. C. Cooke, M. Cuffiani, S. Dado, C. Dallapiccola, G. M. Dallavalle, C. Darling, S. De Jong, L. A. del Pozo, H. Deng, M. Dittmar, M. S. Dixit, E. do Couto e Silva, J. E. Duboscq, E. Duchovni, G. Duckeck, I. P. Duerdoth, U. C. Dunwoody, J. E.G. Edwards, P. A. Elcombe, P. G. Estabrooks, E. Etzion, H. G. Evans, F. Fabbri, B. Fabbro, M. Fanti, P. Fath, M. Fierro, M. Fincke-Keeler, H. M. Fischer, P. Fischer, R. Folman, D. G. Fong, M. Foucher, H. Fukui, A. Fürtjes, P. Gagnon, A. Gaidot, J. W. Gary, J. Gascon, N. I. Geddes, C. Geich-Gimbel, S. W. Gensler, F. X. Gentit, T. Geralis, G. Giacomelli, P. Giacomelli, R. Giacomelli, V. Gibson, W. R. Gibson, J. D. Gillies, J. Goldberg, D. M. Gingrich, M. J. Goodrick, W. Gorn, C. Grandi, E. Gross, J. Hagemann, G. G. Hanson, M. Hansroul, C. K. Hargrove, P. A. Hart, M. Hauschild, C. M. Hawkes, E. Heflin, R. J. Hemingway, G. Herten, R. D. Heuer, J. C. Hill, S. J. Hillier, T. Hilse, P. R. Hobson, D. Hochman, R. J. Homer, A. K. Honma, R. Howard, R. E. Hughes-Jones, P. Igo-Kemenes, D. C. Imrie, A. Jawahery, P. W. Jeffreys, H. Jeremie, M. Jimack, M. Jones, R. W.L. Jones, P. Jovanovic, C. Jui, D. Karlen, J. Kanzaki, K. Kawagoe, T. Kawamoto, R. K. Keeler, R. G. Kellogg, B. W. Kennedy, B. King, J. King, J. Kirk, S. Kluth, T. Kobayashi, M. Kobel, D. S. Koetke, T. P. Kokott, S. Komamiya, R. Kowalewski, T. Kress, P. Krieger, J. von Krogh, P. Kyberd, G. D. Lafferty, H. Lafoux, R. Lahmann, W. P. Lai, J. Lauber, J. G. Layter, P. Leblanc, A. M. Lee, E. Lefebvre, D. Lellouch, C. Leroy, J. Letts, L. Levinson, S. L. Lloyd, F. K. Loebinger, G. D. Long, B. Lorazo, M. J. Losty, X. C. Lou, J. Ludwig, A. Luig, M. Mannelli, S. Marcellini, C. Markus, A. J. Martin, J. P. Martin, T. Mashimo, W. Matthews, P. Mättig, U. Maur, J. McKenna, T. J. McMahon, A. I. McNab, F. Meijers, F. S. Merritt, H. Mes, A. Michelini, R. P. Middleton, G. Mikenberg, D. J. Miller, R. Mir, W. Mohr, A. Montanari, T. Mori, M. Morii, U. Müller, B. Nellen, B. Nijjhar, S. W. O'Neale, F. G. Oakham, F. Odorici, H. O. Ogren, N. J. Oldershaw, C. J. Oram, M. J. Oreglia, S. Orito, F. Palmonari, J. P. Pansart, G. N. Patrick, M. J. Pearce, P. D. Phillips, J. E. Pilcher, J. Pinfold, D. E. Plane, P. Poffenberger, B. Poli, A. Posthaus, T. W. Pritchard, H. Przysiezniak, M. W. Redmond, D. L. Rees, D. Rigby, M. G. Rison, S. A. Robins, D. Robinson, N. Rodning, J. M. Roney, E. Ros, A. M. Rossi, M. Rosvick, P. Routenburg, Y. Rozen, K. Runge, O. Runolfsson, D. R. Rust, M. Sasaki, C. Sbarra, A. D. Schaile, O. Schaile, F. Scharf, P. Scharff-Hansen, P. Schenk, B. Schmitt, M. Schröder, H. C. Schultz-Coulon, P. Schütz, M. Schulz, C. Schwick, J. Schwiening, W. G. Scott, M. Settles, T. G. Shears, B. C. Shen, C. H. Shepherd-Themistocleous, P. Sherwood, G. P. Siroli, A. Skillman, A. Skuja, A. M. Smith, T. J. Smith, G. A. Snow, R. Sobie, S. Söldner-Rembold, R. W. Springer, M. Sproston, A. Stahl, M. Starks, C. Stegmann, K. Stephens, J. Steuerer, B. Stockhausen, D. Strom, P. Szymanski, R. Tafirout, H. Takeda, T. Takeshita, P. Taras, S. Tarem, M. Tecchio, P. Teixeira-Dias, N. Tesch, M. A. Thomson, O. Tousignant, S. Towers, M. Tscheulin, T. Tsukamoto, A. S. Turcot, M. F. Turner-Watson, P. Utzat, R. Van Kooten, G. Vasseur, P. Vikas, M. Vincter, A. Wagner, D. L. Wagner, C. P. Ward, D. R. Ward, J. J. Ward, P. M. Watkins, A. T. Watson, N. K. Watson, P. Weber, P. S. Wells, N. Wermes, B. Wilkens, G. W. Wilson, J. A. Wilson, V. H. Winterer, T. Wlodek, G. Wolf, S. Wotton, T. R. Wyatt, A. Yeaman, G. Yekutieli, M. Yurko, V. Zacek, W. Zeuner, G. T. Zorn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

The leptonic branching ratios of the tau lepton have been determined from data collected by the OPAL detector in 1991 and 1992. From a sample of 27196 e+e-→τ+τ- candidates we find 7322 {Mathematical expression} and 7941 {Mathematical expression} candidates. Using efficiency and background estimates determined from a study of Monte Carlo events and control samples of data, the branching ratios {Mathematical expression}=(18.14±0.20±0.28)% and {Mathematical expression}=(17.48±0.18±0.23)% have been obtained. These new results have been combined with the published results for the 1990 OPAL data to yield the following branching ratios for data taken between 1990 and 1992: {Mathematical expression} These leptonic branching ratios are used with other properties of the muon and tau-lepton to test the universality of charged current leptonic couplings in these decays. The ratio {Mathematical expression} is calculated using our measured values of the leptonic branching fractions of the tau and tau lifetime from which a value of αs(Q2=Mτ 2) is extracted. The value of αs(Q2=MZ 2) is obtained by Q2 evolution and agrees with the value from the Z0 line shape analysis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)543-554
Number of pages12
JournalEuropean Physical Journal C
Volume66
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 1995
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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