Evidence for the leptonic decay D→ μνμ

• Published in: Physics letters. B Vol. 429; no. 1; pp. 188 - 194
• Main Authors: Bai, J.Z, Bardon, O, Blum, I, Breakstone, A, Chen, G.P, Chen, H.F, Chen, J, Chen, Y.B, Cowan, R.F, Fang, J, Gao, M.L, Gao, S.Q, Gu, J.H, Guo, Y.N, Han, S.W, Han, Y, Harris, F.A, Hatanaka, M, He, J, He, M, Hitlin, D.G, Huang, Y.Z, Izen, J.M, Jia, Q.P, Jiang, C.H, Jin, S, Jin, Y, Ke, Z.J, Kim, B.K, Lai, Y.F, Li, F, Li, W, Li, W.D, Li, W.G, Li, X.H, Li, X.N, Lin, S.Z, Liu, H.M, Liu, R.G, Liu, Y, Liu, Z.A, Lowery, B, Lu, J.G, Luo, S, Luo, Y, Ma, J.M, Mao, H.S, Mao, Z.P, Nie, J, Oyang, J, Paluselli, D, Pan, L.J, Prabhakar, E, Quigley, J, Rong, G, Schultz, J, Shen, D.L, Shen, H, Shi, H.Z, Shi, X.R, Smith, A, Song, X.F, Standifird, J, Sun, F, Sun, S.J, Synodinos, J, Torrence, E, Wang, L.S, Wang, L.Z, Wang, M, Wang, P, Wei, C.L, Whittaker, S, Wisniewski, W.J, Xi, D.M, Xie, P.P, Xu, D.Z, Xu, R.S, Xue, S.T, Yamamoto, R, Yan, W.G, Yang, C.M, Ye, S.Z, Yu, Z.Q, Zhang, H.L, Zhang, J.W, Zhang, S.Q, Zhang, Y, Zhang, Y.Y, Zhao, H.W, Zhao, J.W, Zhao, M, Zhao, W.R, Zheng, J.P, Zhou, H.S, Zhou, L, Zhou, X.F, Zhu, Q.M, Zhu, Y.S, Zioulas, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 11.06.1998
• ISSN: 0370-2693; 1873-2445
• DOI: 10.1016/S0370-2693(98)00313-X

Purely leptonic decays of the charged D meson have been studied using the reaction e +e −→D ∗+D − at a center of mass energy of 4.03 GeV. A search was performed for D→ μν μ recoiling against a D 0 or D + which had been reconstructed from its hadronic decay products. A single event candidate was found in the reaction e +e −→D ∗+D − , where D ∗+→π +D 0 with the D 0→ K − π +, and the recoiling D − decaying via D −→μ − ν ̄ μ . This yields a branching fraction value B( D→ μν μ )=0.08 −0.05−0.02 +0.16+0.05%, and a corresponding value of the pseudoscalar decay constant f D =300 −150−40 +180+80 MeV.