Measurement of<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>τ</mml:mi></mml:math>Lifetime and Branching Ratios

Abstract

Precise results are reported for the $\ensuremath{\tau}$-lepton lifetime and several $\ensuremath{\tau}$ branching ratios obtained with the MAC detector operating at PEP at $\sqrt{s}=29$ GeV. We find ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}=(3.15\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.36\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ sec. Results for the topological branching ratios ${B}_{1}$, ${B}_{3}$, ${B}_{5}$ ($\ensuremath{\tau}$ decaying into 1, 3, 5 charged particles) are ${B}_{3}\ensuremath{\equiv}1\ensuremath{-}{B}_{1}=0.133\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.003\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.006$ and ${B}_{5}&lt;0.0017$ at the 95% confidence level. The fraction of all three-prong decays unaccompanied by ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}'\mathrm{s}$ is found to be 0.61\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05.