Search for the Process Electron and Electron Yields Two Negative Muons

摘要

In order to make a sensitive test of whether a multiplicative or an additive lepton number conservation law is at work in leptonic reactions, the process (electron + electron yields two negative muons) was searched for using colliding beams. The result of the experiment sets an upper limit on the cross-section of 0.8 x (10 to the minus 32 power) cm squared. A phenomenological Hamiltonian describing a point interaction of strength G can be introduced for the process. (Author)