Muon decay is a unique process involving only the four leptons of the first two generations. This makes it an ideal framework to study the weak interaction. The momentum-angle spectrum of the decay positron can be studied using a general 4-fermion interaction model. Only four parameters are needed in this model to entirely describe the spectrum. The measurement of these four muon decay parameters, rho, eta, delta and Pmu xi, provide a direct test of the Standard Model and its extensions.
This thesis presents the final results from the blind analysis of the decay parameter delta using the TWIST (TRIUMF Weak Interaction Symmetry Test) spectrometer. The new precision on the parameter delta is a factor of 11.5 better than the last experimental result prior to TWIST achieving the goal of the TWIST collaboration of an order of magnitude improvement. The challenging parameter eta is also measured from the momentum-angle spectrum for the first time since 1969 with a precision improved by a factor of 7.4.
The results are included in a global analysis to obtain stringent limits on some of the coupling constants of the 4-fermion interaction. The result of the measurement of delta are used to evaluate the possibility for a non-local tensor interaction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/2843 |
| Date | 09 June 2010 |
| Creators | Hillairet, Anthony |
| Contributors | Olin, A., Lefebvre, Michel |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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