MO-P7-2 14:45

BLAIR JAMIESON, University of British Columbia

TWIST's First Precision Measurement Of The Muon Decay Asymmetry Parameter *

Muon decay, a purely leptonic decay, is a relatively simple interaction to study when looking for physics not explained by the standard theory of electroweak interactions. In particular, the muon decay asymmetry parameter is directly related to the degree to which weak interactions violate parity, or mirror symmetry. The TRIUMF Weak Interaction Symmetry Test (TWIST) spectrometer was used to measure the energy and angle spectrum of decay positrons from muon decay. By measuring a large part of the muon decay spectrum, TWIST can simultaneously determine three of the muon decay parameters with a high degree of accuracy. This talk presents the first direct TWIST measurement of the product of muon decay asymmetry parameter x with the muon polarization P_m.

 * This work is being supported by NSERC and DOE

* This work is being supported by NSERC and DOE