Speaker
Mr
David Phillips
(Graduate Student)
Description
Using data collected by the KTeV Experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, this study will be the first experimental analysis of $K_{L}\rightarrow\pi^{0}\pi^{0}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$. Although this decay mode is possible within the Standard Model, it is limited to a very narrow band of phase space. The HyperCP Experiment has recently observed three $\Sigma^{+}\rightarrow{\it p}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ events within a narrow dimuon mass range of 213.8 MeV/$c^{2}$ to 214.8 MeV/$c^{2}$. This suggests that the process could occur via a neutral intermediary particle, $\Sigma^{+}\rightarrow{\it p}X^{0}\rightarrow{\it p}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$, with an $X^{0}$ mass of 214.3 MeV/$c^{2}$$\pm$0.5 MeV/$c^{2}$. Since the $X^{0}$ has a light mass and a low interaction probability, then it is most likely a new neutral boson that exists beyond the Standard Model; potentially an ultra light higgs boson in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM). Recent theoretical predictions suggest that the decay mode $K_{L}\rightarrow\pi^{0}\pi^{0}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ can also occur via the aforementioned neutral boson: $K_{L}\rightarrow\pi^{0}\pi^{0}X^{0}\rightarrow\pi^{0}\pi^{0}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$. Therefore, in addition to a Standard Model measurement, the search for $K_{L}\rightarrow\pi^{0}\pi^{0}\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ is also carried out in an effort to address the viability of $X^{0}$ in explaining the HyperCP phenomena.
Author
Mr
David Phillips
(Graduate Student)