Measurements of μ → 3e decay with polarised muons as a probe of new physics

Abstract

Working within the Standard Model effective field theory approach, we examine the possibility to test charged lepton flavour violating (cLFV) new physics (NP) by angular measurements of the outgoing electron and positrons in the polarised μ+→e+e+e− decay. This decay is planned to be studied with a sensitivity to the branching ratio of Bμ→3e∼10−15 by the Mu3e experiment at PSI. To illustrate the potential of these measurements, we consider a set of eight effective operators generating the decay at the tree level, including dimension-five dipole operators and dimension-six scalar and vector four-fermion operators of different chiralities. We show that if the polarised μ+→e+e+e− decay is observed and is induced by a single operator, data from three angular observables – two P-odd asymmetries and one T-odd asymmetry – can allow to discriminate between all considered operators with the exception of scalar and vector operators of opposite chirality. For these two types of operators, the P-odd asymmetry is maximal in magnitude; they can be distinguished, in principle, by measuring the helicities of the outgoing positrons. The observation of a non-zero T-odd asymmetry would indicate the presence in the decay rate of a dipole and vector operator interference term that is T (CP) violating.