First measurement of the Michel parameter $\xi^\prime$ in the $\tau^-\to\mu^-\bar{\nu}_\mu\nu_\tau$ decay at Belle

We report the first measurement of the Michel parameter $\xi^\prime$ in the $\tau^-\to\mu^-\bar{\nu}_\mu\nu_\tau$ decay with a new method proposed just recently. The measurement is based on the reconstruction of the $\tau^-\to\mu^-\bar{\nu}_\mu\nu_\tau$ events with subsequent muon decay-in-flight in the Belle central drift chamber. The analyzed data sample of $988\,\text{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the Belle detector corresponds to approximately $912\times10^6$ $\tau^+ \tau^-$ pairs. We measure $\xi^\prime=0.22\pm0.94(\text{stat})\pm0.42(\text{syst})$, which is in agreement with the standard model prediction of $\xi^\prime=1$. Statistical uncertainty dominates in this study, being a limiting factor, while systematic uncertainty is well under control. Our analysis proved the practicability of this promising method and its prospects for further precise measurement in future experiments.
Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, published in Phys. Rev. Lett