Lecture 11 - Weak Interactions

• Weak Charged Currents and β Decay

• Weak Neutral Currents
• Lepton-Neutrino Scattering
• Muon and Tau Decays
• Lepton Universality
• Lepton Flavour Conservation

1
 Weak Charged Currents
The exchange of a heavy W + or W − boson describes weak
interactions with charged currents
The fermion currents are either:
• A charged lepton changing into a neutrino (or vice-versa)
These must be of the same flavour!
• An up-type quark changing into a down-type quark

Weak interaction strength is related to the Fermi constant GF :

GF g2
√ = 2 GF = 1.16 × 10−5 GeV−2
2 8MW

where g is a dimensionless coupling constant

2
 Description of β Decay
Quark level:
u → de+ νe d → ue− ν̄e

Hadron level (mp = 938MeV, mn = 940MeV):

n → pe− ν̄e is allowed
Free neutron is unstable and decays with τn = 886s
p → ne+ νe is forbidden
Free proton is stable; decay forbidden by mp < mn
Nuclear level:
14
O →14 N ∗ + e+ + νe β+ decay
60
Co →60 N i∗ + e− + ν̄e β− decay
Which type is allowed depends on energy available between nuclei

3
 d

Feynman diagram for β Decay

2
• Propagator for W boson is −igµν /(MW
W−

− q2 )
• Dimensionless coupling constant is g for leptons
modified by CKM factors for quarks (Vud )
ν̄e

u
e−

• The charged current operator is γ µ 12 (1 − γ 5 ) instead of γ µ

Vector minus Axial-vector (V-A)

4
 Amplitude for β Decay
The matrix element “factorizes” into lepton and quark currents:
   
g 1 1 g µ1
M = √ ūd γ µ (1 − γ 5 )uu 2 2
√ ū νe γ (1 − γ 5
)ue
2 2 MW − q 2 2

Neglecting lepton masses the lepton current gives:

1
|ūνe γ µ (1 − γ 5 )ue |2 = 8Ee Eν (1 + cos θ)
2
where θ is the opening angle between e and ν
The quark current squared |ūd γ µ 21 (1 − γ 5 )uu |2 is parametrised by a
“hadronic form factor”, e.g. F (n → p), which is a function of q 2
60
In nuclear β decay use “matrix elements”, e.g. Co →60 N i∗
At low q 2 can replace g 2 /MW
2
with Fermi constant GF

5
 Tritium β decay (Kurie plot)

dΓ G2F
Spectrum: dEe = π3 Ee2 (E0 − Ee )2
1 G2F E05
Total rate: Γ = = τ 30π 3
neglecting lepton mass and nuclear matrix element
Shape near endpoint E0 determines m(νe ) < 2eV

6
 Weak Neutral Currents
Described by the exchange of a heavy Z 0 boson
Z 0 couples to all types of fermion
but there are no flavour-changing neutral currents!
Neutral current amplitude for νe → νe scattering:
 
G µ1 5 µ e e 5


M= √ ūν γ (1 − γ )uν ūe γ (cV − cA γ )ue
2 2
cV and cA are vector and axial-vector couplings
which depend on fermion type:

Lepton 2cV 2cA Quark 2cV 2cA

νe , νµ , ντ 1 1 u, c, t 0.38 1
e, µ, τ -0.06 -1 d, s, b -0.68 -1

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Electron Neutrino Scattering

• Neutrino-Electron scattering νe e− → νe e− :
e− e− e− νe

Z W

νe νe νe e−

• Antineutrino-Electron scattering ν¯e e− → ν¯e e− :

e− e− e− e−

Z
W
ν̄e ν̄e ν̄e ν̄e

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νµ
Muon Neutrino Scattering
• Muon neutrino-Electron scattering νµ e− → νµ e− :
e−

Z
e−

νµ

• Inverse muon decay νµ e− → νe µ− :

e−

W
e−

ν̄µ

νe
Z
e−

ν̄µ

νµ µ−

9
 νµ scattering cross-sections
• Charged current exchange diagram νµ e− → νe µ− :

2 dσ G2F s G2F s
|M| = 16G2F s2 = σ=
dΩ 4π 2 π
• Neutral current scattering of muon neutrinos:
dσ G2F s  2 2 2

= (cV + cA ) + (cV − cA ) (1 − y)
dy 4π

G2F s 2
σ(νµ e → νµ e ) =
− −
(cV + cV cA + c2A )
3π
• Neutral current scattering of muon antineutrinos:
G2F s 2
σ(ν̄µ e → ν̄µ e ) =
− −
(cV − cV cA + c2A )
3π

10
 νe scattering cross-sections
νe scattering is superposition of charged and neutral currents
• Scattering of electron neutrinos:
dσ G2F s  2 2 2

(νe e → νe e ) =
− −
gL + gR (1 − y)
dy π
• Scattering of electron antineutrinos:
dσ G2F s  2 2 2

(ν̄e e → ν̄e e ) =
− −
gR + gL (1 − y)
dy π
where gL = 1 + (cV + cA )/2 and gR = (cV − cA )/2
• Total cross-sections:
G2F s 2 2 G2F s 2 2
σ(νe e ) =
−
(gL + gR /3) σ(ν̄e e ) =
−
(gR + gL /3)
π π
In the lab frame σ(νe e− ) ≈ 10−41 Eν cm2 where Eν is in GeV

11
Matrix element:

M=
GF
√
2
µ

Michel spectrum:


Total decay rate:

−

µ1
Muon Decay

5
ūνµ γ (1 − γ )uµ
2

dΓ
dEe
=
G2F
m
W−



2 2
E
12π 3 µ e
3

−
µ1
2

4Ee
mµ
g
ν̄e

νµ

ūe γ (1 − γ 5 )uνe
e




G2F m5µ 1
Γµ = τµ = = 2.197µs
192π 3 Γµ

12
 Tau Decays
The τ lepton is heavy enough to decay to many final states
(mτ = 1.777 GeV)

τ − → e− ντ ν¯e τ − → µ− ντ ν¯µ

τ − → dūντ τ − → sūντ
Naive branching fractions (with factor ×3 for quark color):

B(τ → e) = B(τ → µ) = 20% B(τ → hadrons) = 60%

The decay to an electron can be related to muon decay:

 5
Γτ →e mτ
=
Γµ mµ
This agrees with the measured τ lifetime ττ = 291f s

13
 Lepton Universality

Couplings of W and Z bosons are the same for all families of

leptons
This can be tested in τ decays:

B(τ − → e− ν̄e ντ ) = (17.84 ± 0.06)%

B(τ − → µ− ν̄µ ντ ) = (17.36 ± 0.06)%

small difference is due to the muon mass

Other tests include:

Michel spectrum shape in µ and τ decays
W → ℓν and Z → ℓ+ ℓ− at high energy colliders
Heavy quark decays b → cℓν and c → sℓν

14
50 years of µ → e flavour violation searches

15
25 years of τ flavour violation searches

16