Measurement of the Michel Parameter Rho Using the MEGA Positron Spectrometer

This experiment attempts to measure the Michel parameter Rho in normal muon decay Mu to e nu_{e} nu_{mu} with a precision of 0.001. The Standard Model with pure V-A interaction gives 0.75 for this parameter. The world average value is 0.7518 +/- 0.0026. A deviation of the value of Rho from 0.75 will indicate new physics. The experiment, RHO, was carried out at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, USA, in 1993. The existing experimental set-up that was built for the MEGA experiment was used for the RHO measurement. The experiment was a collaboration of about 50 physicists from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Stanford University, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Virginia Tech, Texas A University, Indiana University, Valparaiso University, University of Houston, University of Chicago and University of Virginia. The result of the experiment is in agreement with Standard Model. The precision of this measurement was dominated by systematic uncertainties due to the fact that the positron spectrometer used in the measurement was designed for another experiment. Thus, the data analysis here focused mainly on the determination of systematic errors.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Department dc:contributor.department

Physics

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Lee, Fei-sheng

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Piilonen, Leo E.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Simonetti, John H.
• Kinoshita, Kay
• Abashian, Alexander
• Chang, Lay Nam

• Standard Model
• V-A Theory
• Michel Parameter
• Muon Decay

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-04122001-101532

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/26790